


Embers Rising

by TedizStalker



Series: Between CSR and Bx:E [2]
Category: Bx: Execute (OFF Fangame), C/S/R (OFF Fangame)
Genre: A king vulture makes a cameo, Essentially being the crowbar in shenanigans, Flo has a gaydar, Flo is hyperactive, Huaso is a sour soul, It's not Ghost if he's not swearing, It's obvious by now that Huaso swears as much as Ghost, M/M, Now Ghost knows what it feels like to be Batter, Other, Romance takes the back shelf as soon as Flo joins, That is to mediate squabbles between two grown ass men, The story is mostly from Flo's perspective, especially while pissed off, tw; blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25650916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TedizStalker/pseuds/TedizStalker
Summary: Flo, with not a care for anything or anyone besides Fire in his life, wanders aimlessly and insane. For how long? Not that he can tell. He has been insane for as long as he has forgotten his Elsen ID Number.Things start to look up as soon as he spots the spirit of a purifier, and an unusually unhealthy zombie.
Relationships: Ghost Batter/Huaso, Ghost Batter/Huaso/Flo, Huaso/Flo
Series: Between CSR and Bx:E [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859587
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Class and Grade, War!

**Author's Note:**

> Bed time problems, inspired by a picture made by @ Mirror271 on Twitter.

_‘Everything is fine._

_It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fiiiiinnnnnne, fine fine fine!_

_Nothing is wrong. Nothing at all._

_Fire is cleansing_

_Fire is cathartic_

_Fire is therapeutic to your mind._

_It's fine. As long as something is always burning~’_

These are the blatant thoughts of denial running on loop within his head.

A normal Elsen would be dead by now, but here he is, smelling of soot and mint, wearing a pair of blue squared-lens glasses, and ragged Elsen work uniform that has seen better days. Why isn’t it catching fire and disintegrating from his body? _Hell_ , why isn’t his skin doing the same? Or his muscles, or his organs?

The answer? His body is producing new or copied cells at the same rate as it takes for the fire to burn away the first layer of skin. The discharge of sweat and gooey sugar also prevented his clothes from going up in smoke as well, but whatever wasn’t drenched still whittled away to a certain point.

Florence, or Elsen # forgot-his-number, aimlessly wanders alone in a bleached city. He must have seen a sign or a poster somewhere, dubbing it Hollow Metro. Or maybe it’s graffiti.  
 _‘Whatever, whateeeeeever. This is fine._ _  
__It would have been awesome if you were able to set it on fire.’_

Everything begins to burn away under each of his steps, leaving behind scorched shoe prints. He burned bridges at home and everything is okay. He is a filthy sinner, purification will not work on him, or so he came to find out.

Wait, speaking of Purifiers…

_‘Is he flammable?’_

~~

Ghost comes to a stop once he rounds the corner, finding it hard to believe what his eye sockets are witnessing; An inhabitant, on fire. But seemingly fit and fine regardless. So it’s a good thing he and Huaso had split up for now. There’s no telling what this madman will do.

“What the fuck?”

That left his lips involuntarily, getting the Elsen’s attention.

The thing went from a methodical walking pace, to stopping, looking up at him, and then briskly walking over towards him.

Ghost begins to back up, hands out. “Wait, stop, stop. Fuckin’ stop, you’re on fire!”

“Huh?”  
Flo stops, blinking. So the sock snake with strong arms can talk? “I’m on fire?”

“Yes, you’re on fuckin’ fire, how are you fuckin’ fine during this?!”

Ghost watches as the inhabitant pulls out a lighter, flicking it open. Compared to the searing red flames enveloping his body, this little lighter is producing a small blue flame in contrast.

“Because it makes me heal. Fire is wonderful. Who are you, anyway?”

“Ghost ‘Fuckin’ Stop’ Batter, here to tell you to motherfuckin’ stop.”

“Are you fireproof?”

“I’m flame-retardant, now put that shit out before I fuckin’ hose you down.”

Hose him down? Nah, he doesn’t see Ghost with a hose in tow.

Suddenly, a splash of plastic hits the back of his head, down his shoulders, soaking him through while putting the flames out with an intense hiss. He hunched over, hugging himself.

“Ow! What gives?!”

Flo looks behind him, and gives pause.

The perpetrator for putting his friend out had been another Elsen. Sickly looking, with red goggles and grey overalls. But his face, scabs aside… it looks hauntingly familiar…

“I dumped a bucket over ya head, because ya need t’ fuckin’ stop. Should’ve listened ta Ghost. Now who are ya?”

Oh, how rude of him, he hasn’t introduced himself!

He takes his lighter out, but doesn’t flip it open yet. “I’m Florence! Flo for short is okay, too.”

Ah, he talks too loud. Huaso scowled, resisting the urge to cover his ears.

“I’m Huaso. Now, what are ya doin’ with that?”

If he hadn’t known better, Flo is carrying an object found from the outside.

“I’m going to resume what I was doing ten seconds ago; heal by inferno.”

He flicks open the lighter.

As soon as Huaso sees the little flame, he lashes out, swatting it from the other’s hand with a swipe of his claws.

“Woah, wai-wait!”

Flo didn’t react in time to pick it up, only watching to see a steel capped boot come down on the lighter.

It broke easily under one stomp.

His friend, the Fire, had been crushed under a boot from another inhabitant. And a sick bastard at that.

“How could you?!”

The arsonist was upon the miner in an instant. The two rolling around, trying to get a free punch, kick, or scratch in, yelling at one another. Something about ‘I needed that!’ and ‘Fire will kill me, are ya that fuckin’ insane?!’

Flo got a lucky shot in punching one of the goggles in. While the lens didn’t break, it not only bruised the eye socket, but a splash of blood was forced out of the top valve of that goggle.

Compared to the scent of mint, it smelled disgusting.

“Guys, please?”

Huaso, reeling from the shock of pain in one eye, screeched and took a wide swipe at the other’s chest.

“Fuckin’ hello? Stop.”

The claws left behind trails of tar-like trenches on the arsonist’s skin, but the poison didn’t last long, as even after recently being doused did the wound heal over at an abnormal rate.

“Why do I fuckin’ bother?”

At this point, Ghost had seen enough. It’s like watching himself fight Bad over similar shit like this, and especially when the claws come out to play. He extends both arms, grabbing both inhabitants by the back of their collars.

“Okay, Oh-Fuckin’-Kay! Break it up! Motherfuckin’ _stop_ you’re both _grown ass_ men! FUCKIN’ ACT LIKE IT!”

“He broke my lighter!”

“Ghost, ya know fire _kills_ me, I ain’t standin’ by to git set upon like petrol on a burnin’ man!”

“How was I supposed to know? _We just met_!”

“I said; _FUCKIN’ STOP!_ ”

Ghost didn’t want to do that, but to get his point across, he made both bap heads, silencing their protest before promptly dropping them. “Now fuckin’ apologize. If you don’t, I guess I’ll be on my way, alone.”

Huaso groans, watching Ghost storm off, but also kind of slow to a stop, turning around to watch. Of course he wouldn’t leave. But it was enough of an incentive to begrudgingly do as he’s asked.

“Ah… I’m sorry, Flo. Fire kills me, I couldn’ help myself.”

Flo, still sitting on the ground and checking his scratched shirt over, gave a huff. “It’s fine…” he mumbles, soon crawling over to the remains of his lighter.  
There is no way it will work now. The lid’s broken, but at least he found the little screw that held it in one piece. He gathers the broken lighter and puts it in his pocket.

By the time he can divert his eyes off the bleached concrete, the two undead were walking away, reaching a corner of the street to round it. “Hey! Wait up!”

~~

Huaso was in too sour of a mood to properly clean his face up. His punched eye socket throbs, but at least the valve up the top isn’t busted, or he may as well not be wearing goggles at all.

It got worse when the minty inhabitant caught up.

“The fuck do ya want?” he snarled.

Flo completely ignores the agitation in the miner’s voice as he walks by his side.

“You broke my lighter, but that aside, you’re the first people I’ve found since I got here.”

“Yeah. And?”

“Can I come with you guys?!”

That was an abrupt question. Ghost pauses in his walking, looking over his shoulder. “Sure, why the fuck not? Just not so loud around Huaso, his hearing is sensitive.”

“Yay~!”

Flo probably wasn’t thinking when he hugs the miner in his joy, grunting when he soon found his ass flat on the concrete again after a particularly rough shove.

“Don’t. _Fuckin’._ Touch me.” Huaso spits, soon walking after Ghost.

That spike of hostility did not deter Flo as he got up on his feet and ran after the two.

“So what is your guy’s story? Did you flip the switch in your home, too?”

“My old home? Fuck that shit. My youngest brother’s home? Fuckin’ flipped by him. This guy?” Ghost pauses to point at Huaso, “It’s still up and running, with a Spaghetti Queen-classed purified Zone 3. The two of us are here on fuckin’ vacation.”

Flo continues to tail them deeper into the urban jungle. And it didn’t take long for him to put pieces of a puzzle together before his inner gaydar went off.  
There’s a slight limp, if it’s possible for someone who floats with a tail, in Ghost. And Huaso is travelling _very_ close to the purifier’s side. Honestly, they make a cute couple, but it’s a shame both are taken.

“Ghost, why are we letting ‘im tag along?” Huaso whispers.

“We leave that fucker alone with a grudge, he’ll come back to bite our ass later on. You’ve seen how psychotic he was when we first spotted him.”

“Are you two a couple?”  
Yet another question out of the blue from the young man with the blue glasses.

 _‘Ah shit, I shouldn’t have kept that close.’_ Huaso thinks to himself.

“Yeah. And don’t fuckin’ judge us, it’s not your fuckin’ business anyway.”

“Do you guys have interc-”

“Put a cork in it.” Huaso snaps, glaring at Flo, “Besides, what gave ya _that_ idea?”

“I can see your boyfriend limping.”

Now it was Ghost’s turn to blush. Was it really that obvious?

“D’worry about it. It’s something stupid, Flo.” he tries waving it off.

“...That’s hot.”

“Do ya regret it _now?_ ” the miner hisses at his boyfriend under his breath before storming off ahead.

~~

The doctor-to-be continues to tail the two, going on and on, chattering either one of their ears off. He was talking a lot of nonsense at this point; sightseeing, hiding from the rain, setting things on fire ‘for science’. Huaso so badly wanted to ditch the footpath and go bash his head against a wall until he gave himself a concussion.

“Can ya shuddap for a couple a minutes?! I don’ wanna listen or talk to ya anymore!” he snaps at Flo.

“Hey, easy.” Flo raised his hands in defense, “Again, you’re the first few that I find in this dump, cut me some slack.”

“Well cut _us_ some slack too, ya lunatic!”

Ghost had stopped walking to turn around and watch his frustrated boyfriend rip another one. If fists and claws start flying, he’s going to turn invisible and walk away. And probably come back later for Huaso. He’s not stepping in as ‘the adult’ again.

“You want slack? I can do that! Enough about me.”

“Finally!-”

“Let’s talk about you!”

_‘Oh fuck no…’_

Huaso groans. Just _what_ about him did he pick out?

“As long as ya don’ touch me, I’m listening.”

Flo smiles, taking a gander at the inhabitant with a familiar face. The three resume walking when Ghost sees that another pointless fist fight has been averted.

“Your skin looks unhealthy, it’s coming off in flakes! And the amount of blood that came out of your goggles when I punched you; I didn’t really hit that hard! You smell, awful, may I add.”

“Thank ya, doctor obvious. What are ya gettin’ at?” he chides with an eye roll.

“Show me your teeth~!”

An odd request, but that he can do. Huaso bears his teeth in a soundless snarl.

“Odd. They’re sturdy and strong. As white as they are, are they supposed to be infused with ferrite?”

“Not my place ta call.”

“And you should eat more! Why are you so _unhealthy?_ ”

“It ain’t like I’m not trying. Fuck off.”

“No, seriously, why?”

Flo made the mistake to place his hands on the miner’s shoulders. Huaso promptly responds with black tipped claws clamping down on the wrists, and injecting the tar-like poison. Had this been any other inhabitant, they would have let go screaming, but the arsonist looks perplexed.

“Hey, c-can you stop that? That tickles~!”

The black tendrils invading the bloodstream didn’t even reach the elbows before it couldn’t go further, soon fading and starting to reverse-engineer its health condition under the skin the second Huaso removed his claws. The stink of mint is emitted by the wounds two fold as the poison was blatantly pushed back out.

“I told ya not ta touch me.”

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“An’ I don’ plan ta. But by all means; how are ya immune ta _that?_ ”

Oh, he’s going to be that way? Flo can play that game. He can withhold his secrets. He’s been good at doing that lately.

“That’s for me to know, and you to never-you-mind.”

“So that’s it. Don’ ever question my health again.”

~~

More than once, Ghost has told Flo to come up here and talk to him instead, at least take the brunt of nonsensical prattling for his boyfriend. But for some reason, Flo seemed more interested in talking with the miner. Yet as the sun begins to set, and the trio were deep in a bleached suburban neighbourhood, both Elsens come to an abrupt stop, sniffing the air. Those rolling dark clouds coming in from the east don’t look too good.

“We need shelter.”

“And fast.”

Both inhabitants glance at each other. Finally, something they can agree on!

“Any one of these fuckin’ houses should be unlocked.”

“Ghost, I swear, if ya punch a doorknob in…”

“Actually please do! The sooner we have a roof over our heads, the better!”

Ghost knows why Huaso sounds like finding shelter is of urgent priority; he was right there when it happened in the middle of a desert. He didn’t quite understand why Flo looked anxious however.

A few houses were tried, before Huaso found one with the door unlocked. “Over ‘ere!” he hollers, waving them over. Once Ghost and Flo book it inside, he gets in and closes the door himself. Right as the first few drops hit the ground.  
While Huaso and Flo took a moment to catch their breath, Ghost took the unspoken initiative to explore the house. Coming in from the front door, they were immediately in the living room; across from that, the kitchen and dining room. The rest of the house could only be accessed by said kitchen; with a hallway leading to three bedrooms, the bathroom, and the laundry; with the toilet connecting the last two. From the dining and laundry, the backyard can be accessed by two separate back doors.

Huaso sighs as he flops onto a couch. It felt well worn, and having seen better days. Most of the pillows and cushions have been pushed and warped out of shape. And he could have sworn that at least one of them had a spring sticking into his side. He wearily glances up as he sees Flo stand before him, arms crossed.

“What?”

“You were in such a great hurry to get out of the rain.” Flo remarks, “You’re interesting.”

“And?”

“Just tell me already! You’re sick, sicker than a dog, and you’re doing nothing to address it?”

“Like I said, it ain’t that I don’ bother to…”

“Marshmallows, we have a problem.” Ghost announces, well aware that a presence was following him.

Turns out the three were not the first ones to enter this house. Heck, whoever was there first might have lived here. When the presence found a switch to the lamp, the room is basked in a warm glow, and the three can see who it is: Another inhabitant, slightly taller than Flo, sharply dressed in a black suit, with a bald head, and most notably, a pair of bright red shades.

“Ah geeze…” Huaso sits up, rubbing his forehead. “Sorry for invadin’. We were tryin’ to git outta the rain.”

“Which is exactly why I’m here.” The newcomer confirms, “I felt a Purifier surrounded by a few people containing the power of corruption, and thought I would leave the door unlocked.  
“But now that you’re here; state your Class and Grade, both of you.”

Huaso glances at Flo, then at the new rain refugee. His class and grade? Why does he feel compelled to answer? Although, he really didn’t want to reveal it to anyone in front of-  
“Class: Harbringer, Grade: Pestilence.”

Flo looked a little nervous. Class and Grade? What are those?  
“Class: Harbringer, Grade: Health.”

Both revealed harbringers blink, and look at each other. Oh, that makes a lot of sense!

“So, what does that make you, Top Man?” Ghost asks, “Class and Grade?”

“Class: Harbringer, Grade: War.”

Unlike the other two, this one had no qualms about answering it.

“Ghost, ya know it’s rude ta ask without askin’ for a name, right?”

“Pot and Kettle, Hua.”

While the couple playfully bicker, meanwhile Flo looks at the war harbringer with a glint in his eyes. He’s got a good feeling about this one!

“What’s your name? I’m Florence. This lovely couple are Huaso and Ghost.”

“My name is Reinzi, or #73694.” Reinzi gives a slight nod.

“Ah… hehe, yeah, I forgot my number.” Flo sheepishly admits  
Something about Reinzi gave the doctor-to-be an idea. He digs into his pocket and pulls out his broken lighter. “Pestilence broke this earlier, can you please fix it?”

Raising a brow, Reinzi takes the lighter and looks at it with a nod. “I think I can manage that. Although in the future, you would do well not to flip it open in Pestilence’s presence, Health. Has he told you that fire will kill him?”

“He did… after he put out the fire on my person.”

“Since you were here first sir, can we crash here for the night? No way are we heading back out in the rain.”

Huaso listens as Ghost makes some effort to censor himself in front of the new stranger.

“It’s not my house; we’re all here doing the same thing. But I have taken the room closest to the living room. There is a large bedroom last door on the left hand side of the hallway, and an equally large bed too. I think the three of you will be able to share the bed.”

Huaso bit back a groan. Sure, he arrived with Ghost and Flo, but he’s not keen on sharing the bed with a Health, now that the revelation is out in the open.

“Then what’s at the end of the hallway?”

“Just a smaller room. Perfect for a single bed.”

Huaso gives Flo a pointed glare, although the goggles hide it well. Flo better take that single bed.

Ghost glances between the two. Shit, he’s beginning to understand how his youngest brother feels; trying to keep two idiots separated to avoid a fight.

Flo only smirks as he looks at the two. “We’ll take the big bed. All three of us.”

Huaso wanted to claw his eyes out at this point.

~~

Ghost wasn’t going to put up with this shit for long. Deciding to keep the peace, because only Epsilon knows that Huaso’s patience has run apple skin thin, he volunteers to sleep between the two harbringers. As soon as Huaso was in bed, he became dead to the world.

But despite being just acquainted, this was also Flo’s first time ever to hug the purifier. And as he got away with hugging an arm, he can understand part of the charm that Ghost has. He cuddled it, he squeezed it, he nuzzled it some before finally settling.

Except…

Flo didn’t stay settled for long.

It is still raining, and with it, it brings a chill to the bedroom. If he had his lighter, he would set something on fire, but then the house could catch fire, and he could lose his new friends. He shivers. Why aren’t the blankets thick enough? The bringer of health grabs the blankets and wraps them all around himself.

Huaso barely noticed the cold, and turned over to lie on his other side.

Ghost, having a greater preference for warmth over the cold, shivers as soon as he’s left to the chilly air in the room. In his half sleep stupor, he grabs the blanket from the newcomer, and covers himself and his boyfriend with it.

Cold once again, Flo gives a quiet whine and rolls over.

Ghost only had half a second to rouse, before his body became the pillow of the doctor-to-be.

Nobody was going to get any sleep tonight.

~~

Huaso sinks his teeth into raw Abbadon meat with a growl, ripping off a mouthful and chewing it with agitation. That shitty opposite took all the blankets last night, and hogged Ghost’s attention, getting coil-hugged to stop the blanket thefts for the rest of the night. He was already missing the peace, warmth, and love that he could express with the purifier alone.  
Is he jealous? Undoubtedly. But also because he simply did not enjoy Flo’s presence. At all. The first chance he gets, he’s going to buy a second tent, an extra warm sleeping bag, and the little shit can take that up all by himself should they be in a situation where they can’t take refuge under a roof.

Ghost sat opposite of him at the table, giving a yawn, and taking another bite of his apple.

“Last night fuckin’ sucked.”

Huaso only grunts in response, his frown deep upon the goggles as he rips off another mouthful.

“Good morning~! I slept well, how about you?” Flo announces as he enters the kitchen.

“Yippee, good for fuckin’ you.” the miner sneers, stuffing the last of his meat into his mouth. “We hardly did, blanket hog.”

“You should smile more, it’s not good for you to frown all the time.”

The harbringer of health is met with a slab of Abbadon’s meat landing flat on his face, getting his glasses dirty.

“I do. Except yer very presence is jammin’ my serotonin processor.”

“Huaso, we’re all grumpy. He was being fuckin’ sarcastic.” Ghost huffs, folding his arms onto the table.

“I was not.”

The sick Elsen bites back as he stands from his chair, and moves to flop onto the bad couch in the living room.

Flo moves to follow, but a hand on his shoulder stops him.

“Let him go. He needs to cool down.” Ghost says, before tossing the apple core down into his mouth like it’s not a big deal.

Flo looks a little disheartened at that, but he sighs, listening to the purifier just this once, and takes a seat at the table.

~~

“Your lighter, Health.”

Reinzi opens his closed fist, revealing the flint in his hand. Lid back on, screw in place, innards likely replaced and, or fixed, exterior given a new polish to cover up scratches.

Flo gasps, his eyes giving a glint behind the glasses, as he picks it up. “Thank you so much, sir!”

“You are welcome. But for future reference, do not flip it open around those who are weak to the element of fire.”

Flo nods. Although it seems as though the reference went in one ear and out the other. As soon as he flicks it open, the little light of fire is there.  
And it is just as gone when someone snatches it from his grasp. This time, it is the dead purifier.

“I saw that look, asshole arsonist. I’m holding onto this until you pass the selfless check.”

Flo begins to whine, watching as Ghost slips it into his pocket.

“Pay attention next time. Even when you don’t want to.” the well dressed harbringer adds before looking out the window. “With any luck, we can all part ways right around lunch time.”


	2. A Temple of Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You would think that being in a Temple of Peace would help quell an angry engineer's temper?
> 
> Nope. Not when the doctor doesn't believe you.

Just as war predicted; the rains stopped, the clouds clear, and they went their separate ways.

Well, it would have been a preferable case if Flo went on his own way. But Ghost took the lighter, and now the pyromaniac continues to travel with them.

Before departing, Huaso took on the idea to put in some earplugs. As long as it’s broad daylight, he doesn’t need to rely on his echo-location.

All he had to do was listen to the muffled prattles of the doc, and nod now and then. Maybe acknowledge the chatter with a ‘uh-huh.’  
He must have said one half-assed reply at the wrong time, because he then catches Flo hurrying up, and gets to Ghost’s side to start complaining.

“Ghooost? Huaso has earplugs in, and he’s ignoring me.”

“What the fuck do you want me to do about it, fire nugget? And didn’t he tell you that he doesn’t wanna fuckin’ listen to you anymore right now?”

“But that was yesterday!” Flo whines.

“Unless you want him to fuckin’ try and maul you again, leave him be.”

Flo huffs. He’ll figure Huaso out eventually.

How does Ghost get past that prickly exterior? What is it that he does that the doctor falls short upon?  
Is it because he and Huaso are opposites in every way? One’s a doc, the other’s a pathogen. One loves fire, the other gains strength from water. One’s happy and hyper, the other’s sour and stubborn.

And Ghost is a bit of a tsundere himself. How is he still able to make Huaso happy in spite of that, and find happiness from him in return? Well, other than the fact those two are clearly in love.

Flo will figure him out. He will.

Huaso can’t shun him with spite forever.

~~

The atmosphere got a bit misty as soon as they completely left the suburbs and entered a damp forest. The path looks well worn. And if Flo had to squint, he could see bubbles full of mist floating around. An unusual sight indeed.

“So, where are we going?”

“Everywhere. An’ nowhere. Ya welcome ta fuck off, ya know.” Huaso replies bluntly.

“Not without my lighter.”

Huaso is still being sour. Is it because of his addiction to fire?

The metal hiding under the leaf litter is a dark blue. From what Flo has gathered from his discoveries, and from the two undead that he’s following; pieces of land can remain static, while the rest will constantly change overnight, or rarely during the day. When the land is static, it’s usually because someone has made a home somewhere. And if their soul is strong enough, it will never change. No matter how robust the file’s data that falls here.

Three hours of walking this path, without stopping, and the sun was beginning to set. A wall of twigs and overgrown branches blocks the way.

With a huff, Ghost reaches out and effortlessly pries them apart. “These fuckin’ twigs are not gonna stop us.”

The three gave pause after the way forward was opened.

Up ahead is a large temple. The sunset glow giving it an imposing yet welcoming presence. With Ghost taking the lead, the two undead inhabitants follow. At this time of day, Flo has given up trying to talk to the miner who is unwilling to listen. It’s also that he ran out of things to say, and even got tired of listening to himself. Curiosity does compel him to speak up once they get through the temple’s front gate, and start heading up the stairs.

“What are all of those?”

“They look like nerds… only mannequins.”

“Strange…” Ghost walks over to one and takes a better look.

“Ghost, ya don’ know who built them. Don’ even think ‘bout punchin’ one in.”

“I won’t, calm your tits, wrench handler.”

Flo snickered at that. What? Huaso does look like someone who can build things with a wrench alone. But by the tone, Ghost must have meant something else.

“H-Hello?” a timid voice spoke up.

On the stairs ahead, the three undead turn, to see something covered in a sheet. There were holes cut into them for whoever was under it to see out.

Although, that’s not what Ghost sees, clenching his fists. “I haven’t seen a strong as fuck spectre in ages.”  
He flinches when one of Huaso’s hands clamp down on a shoulder.

“Ghost, that ain’t a spectre. They don’ wear sheets, no less have clawed legs stickin’ out under ‘em.”

“Ah, yes. I’m n-not a spectre. Please, c-calm down.”

“Say, are you the one who lives in this temple?” Flo chimes in. Excited as ever.

“That would be m-me. It’s getting late, would you like to come inside, children?”

“Children?”

Huaso’s tone took a dip in offense. What is up with this nerd? He also smells a little undead, so he shouldn’t have any trouble getting close and making the temple owner sick.

“Ah, s-sorry, did you take offense to that?”

Whoever this blanketed monk is, he seems pretty shy. Huaso does his best to drop his defensive tone.

“Nah, I should be sorry. Yes, a night’s stay would be welcomin’. We don’ fancy being caught in the rain.”

~~

Huaso frowns at his dish. Even the meat has something grown from the dirt sprinkled on them.

“I can’ eat this. I’m sorry.”

He gently pushes the plate away.

Turns out, that after introductions were had, the monk hiding under the sheet goes by Par. He wouldn’t reveal anything else. With enough question dodging, Ghost gets up from his seat.

“What are you hiding?”

“Nothing.”

“That’s a lie. Why do you hide under a fuckin’ sheet? I could’ve punched you.”

“Ghost, sit down.” Huaso grunts, frowning again, “I know ya hate lies, but some folk are entitled ta keep their secrets.”

Flo felt at peace despite the couple being cute yet again. He looks at Par.

“I met a wonderful man earlier. I found out about what I’ve become after hearing the simple request; what’s your Class and Grade?”

“My what?”

Par stammers, blinking. As he tries to process the question, he blinks. The left eyelid looks black.

“Class: Harbringer. G-Grade: Peace.”

“That explains it. See, you got a calming aura. And no offense to Ghost, but he wouldn’t take a ‘no’ to a self-restraint plea.” at least, that’s what Flo has been observing.

“If I m-may… Who was the wonderful man? Can you describe him?”

“Well, he’s a little taller than myself, he dresses sharp, has red shades…”

As Flo explains, the monk begins to blanch under the sheet. Is it-? No way...   
Much like Huaso, he pushes his food away slightly. “I think I’ll turn in for the night, children. A-Also, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you cannot eat plants.” he says quietly, while briefly glancing in Huaso’s direction.

“Ah, it’s no big deal. Ya didn’ know, I didn’ say, nobody asked-”

“Can you tell me why you can’t eat greens? They’re healthy!”

Ah yes. Flo.

Huaso gives him a sour scowl. “I’d rather not. Other than the fact that I’ll vomit.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Flo, ya already know I’m Pestilence. Why won’ ya take my word for it?”

Flo gives a pause. Oh yeah, Huaso is Grade Pestilence. He’s a walking pathogen. Something like plants would make him sick. Having forgotten that important information, the bringer of health suddenly feels inadequate with his smarts just now. Although…  
“Call it morbid curiosity. Can you please try to eat the lettuce? It’s not like you’ve touched anything on your plate, or had anything to eat since lunch.”

The glare of vile disgust hardens. And it didn’t escape Ghost’s attention.

“Huaso, no-”

“ _Huaso fuckin’ fine._ ” he snaps, grabbing the offending leaf and stuffing it into his mouth. He chews, hearing it crunch between his ears, in his gob, already shuddering from the moisture going towards his tonsils, heading for his throat. A hard swallow. As it slides over the ruined sulfuric glands in his throat, he shudders. That stings worse than the time he ingested Heaven-made meat-based chili peppers.   
Suddenly, he sputters, a hand over his mouth as he feels his eyes water in the murk of the blood. In a dash, he’s up from his spot, rips open a pocket tunnel and sprints inside to offload the lettuce leaf that he made himself ingest. Just to humor Florence and get him off his back.

“Don’t ever fuckin’ make him do that again.”

Ghost’s remark didn’t entirely register with Florence; for Huaso to open a pocket tear into a wall without damage to the property was the most amazing stunt he’s seen him pull since they met!

~~

“Fuck off.”

“Please? I’ll stop asking for the rest of the night once you do!”

“I said _f_ _uck off!_ ”

Huaso laid on his back in his bedroll, on the rug between the fireplace and the couch, while the doctor took up said couch. Ghost was still getting ready for bed, the two bringers hearing him brush his teeth in another room. Par meanwhile retired to his quarters.

“I want to know how you were able to do that! Rip open a seam into the wall and what not! It didn’t even leave traces of damage-!”

“Florence, fuckin’ stop! I am this close ta breaking yer neck! I’ve had ‘nuff of ya whiny antics, just _shut the Hell up!_ ”

Ghost walks in at this, glancing between the two.

“Is this a bad time, or…?”

The sick Elsen heaves a sigh. “I’m afraid so, Ghost. If yer mad at me f’ refusing ta show some grown-ass spine to this annoying shit-wit, I understand.”

“I’m not mad. But you do sound like you need space.”  
The purifier glances around. Par did say something about a spare guest room. “Flo, why don’t you take the guest room? The more you encroach on his space, the longer it takes for him to be your friend.”

For the first time since tagging along, Flo reluctantly takes the hint, grabs his blanket, and moves to the guest room. “Goodnight, you two.”

“See you in the morning.”

Ghost settles down on the couch in Flo’s place, ponders for a bit before offering an arm.  
“You are right though; You need to grow the fuck up, you’re fuckin’ older than he is. I’m starting to understand Pokerface’s pain; having to deal with my ass picking fights with Duckerface just because he’s done something to piss me off. It’s strange having to be seen as the ‘smart one’ in a trio of motherfuckin’ morons. I’m more accustomed to you correcting my mistakes before I fuckin’ make ‘em.”

Huaso heaves a sigh, taking the arm and using it as a pillow with a slight nuzzle, closing his eyes when he feels the hand crane around to pet his hair.

“I’m sorry, Ghost. I feel my nerves are fried at this point.”

“Don’t be sorry to me, Huaso; be sorry to him. Not right now, but when you’re ready to apologize and you think he earns it. And… it wouldn’t hurt to answer some of his questions, would it?”

“I will, when I’m in a better mood. Right now ain’t it, love.” Huaso sighs again, before grumbling, “He didn’ believe me when I said I can’ eat my greens...”

That must have been the tipping point to pestilence’s patience.

It really sucks to be the peace keeper here.

~~

It’s dark.

He can’t see.

But he can _smell_. And he can still echo-locate.

And he can smell something minty right in front of him.

He gives a growl, echoes lighting up a figure before him, following the scent, and sinks his teeth into something.

...Something that tasted a lot like Belial’s meat.

Giving a grumble, he takes it and devours it with gusto.

Right.

Conscious thoughts resurfacing.

His frontal lobe is hurting like a bitch.

_‘Ah… shit.’_

Huaso had struck empty mode.  
He takes a while for his other senses to sharpen, blinking as he clicks his tongue, still tasting the remains of the meat in his mouth. Standing before him, looking concerned, wasn’t Ghost.

Instead it was Flo.

“Good morning.”

He’s not his peppy self. If anything, he’s very wary.

“Mornin’ Flo. H... How’d ya know I was on empty mode?”

“Is that what you call it?” Flo asks, before giving a soft hum before answering, “You didn’t eat or drink anything last night. Given, you vomited, and probably had a tender stomach so you couldn’t eat much if you wanted to.”

“And who’s fault was that?” Huaso nearly snarls.

“Well, yours, actually. I’ll admit, I was being a little immature, but you ate the lettuce to prove a point I didn’t believe. And in the end, wound up spiting yourself more.”

“Sure, sure…” the miner grumbles, helping himself to another Belial’s meat. Hungry zombie needs more than one to stop the pangs from haunting him. “I need water, too. Headache’s hurtin’.”

Flo hurries out to go get a glass of water, or plastic… whichever one Par has going through this half temple half home. He returns with the glass.

“You call it empty mode?”

“Yeah,” Huaso rasps, taking the glass with a nod, “It’s what happens when I either skip a meal, or stay by a fire for too long, or take a hit from the element of meat more than once.” After a sip, he directs his gaze at the doctor-to-be.  
“Ya seem wary. Have ya ever had a moment that you behaved like a zombie, too?”

“I think?”

Flo sounds unsure as he answers, glancing away. “I did come to while eating someone’s head one time. That was before I burned Bismark to the ground to cover my tracks. And… it happened after I was pushed into the plastic by an Elsen who thought it would be funny.”

“Bismark is a place surrounded by plastic. By the sounds of it, ya must’ve gotten soaked ta be hittin’ empty mode. I know ya avoid plastic unless ya _absolutely_ need that shower.”

Once the pain in his head finally dies down after enough water, he settles with a sigh.

“Flo, where’s Ghost?”

“He’s exploring the temple. Did so after he came to me when he felt claws pricking at one of his arms.”

Flo seemingly replies without a beat. He smiles a little.

By the looks of things, this is not the first time Ghost had to deal with Huaso’s ‘empty modes’ before.

“Can you tell me about the tear in the wall now?”

“Well, alright. Dunno if I can word it to ya properly, Flo, but here it goes.  
“Those reality-renderin’ seams? They’re what I’d like ta call ‘pocket dimensions’. I dunno if yer capable of summonin’ one yerself, but I’ve heard that most harbringers are capable of doin’ them. Particularly, the best of their Grades.” he gives a pause at that, frowning, “Guess that means I’m the best Pestilence around, but I ain’t bitin’ the cake to be sure. Provided that I know the identity of a destination, I like ta open pocket tunnels and git from point A to point B in as little as five minutes. If it’s the first time visitin’, it’ll take longer to git there.   
“I’ve never travelled through anyone else’s pocket tunnel before, but mine appears ta be tunnels of the Damien Mines in Zone 1. You, Reinzi, an’ Par are the first other harbringers I’ve met. So yer tunnels, provided that ya know how ta use ‘em, might be different in appearance than mine.”

“I might have been able to make something like that. I found myself walking in a hospital corridor when I was running from Zone 2.”

The two opposites stare at each other, Huaso giving a nod after another second.

“Ya might be th’ best Health around, Flo.”

~~

Flo glances back one more time, smiling at Par, and giving him thanks for letting them stay the night. Today seems to be a good day, so long as he doesn’t fuck up and get on Huaso’s pointy side again. The miner took the conversation well like a civilized person; a far cry from yesterday in response to the doctor’s somewhat ditzy and inattentive behavior.

He watches the undead couple walk ahead of him, a sigh escaping. They really are kind of cute, in a weird, cool way, together. According to the monk; there is a farm that grows massive food. Bigger than what a watermelon looks like. But to get there, they need to take a pedalo into the filtration system, a network of clean water pipes, almost like an abandoned filter plant, still in operation.

If Huaso had to guess; someone capable of flying regardless of their height will also suffice if one believes they can forego the swan-modeled paddle boat. Once they find the walking man icon and place a hand on it, the pedalo warps in, sitting peacefully on the plastic surface.

“Flo, I’m aware y’ain’t keen of plastic, but if we both push the pedals we can git back to land sooner.”

“What about Ghost?”

“Do I look like I got fuckin’ legs to work with, mint marshmallow?”

“Uh… good point. My bad.”

Once the three board the pedalo, the two harbringers take the pedals, while Ghost takes the back seat to look around. Of course, he’ll help if one of them gets tired, although he knows Huaso has the stamina to keep on keeping on. Not so much about Flo.

The three take one last look at the morning light illuminating the land before they pass the threshold into the dark tunnel, entering the filtration system.


	3. Familiar Whiskers, and an Immortal Fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Filtration System is a intricate maze of water and metal. But they will find more than just one deranged soul.
> 
> Flo finally passed the Selfless Check.
> 
> And a 4th Wall Breaker sees a red flag upon meeting a new face, masked in metal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just before you read on, I thought I would take this quick notice to say thanks for reading with me this far. : )
> 
> Also, think of what you will, but yes, Flo did jam a metaphorical crowbar into a soundproofed tent.

It’s too dark to see much, which isn’t an issue for Huaso with his echo location. It’s a different story with Flo.

“Here.”

Huaso turns on his head lamp, a bright beam shining the way.

The sound of water running resounds off the walls everywhere in this half flooded pipe. Still, they pedal on.

Ghost looks at his reflection in the water, which isn’t easy to do, because he can’t exactly see well in the dark either. Despite the nature of the filtration system, places with rust, wear and tear, the place ironically smelled of fresh water and newly constructed steel.

Flo remained tense during the entire ride, but followed Huaso’s instructions to keep on pedaling. The deeper they went, the more he wanted to turn this pedalo around and nope the fuck out of here.  
He’s starting to get nervous. This is a perfect time as any to flick open his lighter, look at the little flame, and calm down as its glow reassures him.  
But it fuels his insanity, his desire to set himself on fire and keep others far away from him.  
But at the same time, if Huaso catches on fire, it’s curtains for him.  
Flo would like to become friends with Huaso.  
And to do that, he needs to not have fire anywhere near the sick inhabitant.

So for now, all Flo can do is endure his anxiety.

~~

The second the pedalo bumps against the ramp, Flo jumps with a squeak from his nap.

“We struck land. Or somethin’ ta walk on an’ stretch our legs.” Huaso announces, stepping off first and offering a hand.

Flo pauses, looking at the white sugar that goes as far as his wrists. He should ask about those later. It must explain why his scratches hurt, or in his case tickle.  
Shaking his head from his pondering distractions to see an irked look on Huaso’s face, the bringer of health takes the offered hand, and steps out of the pedalo, his footing initially uneven.

“Where do we go from here?”

Flo asks, beginning to regret coming with them this far. But he refuses to leave them without his lighter.

“I spotted a map before we struck land. We should have a bite ta eat before continuin’.”

The miner grunts, checking his things in his bag, then looking for a dry place to sit down.

Flo moves to follow when he feels a tap on his shoulder. Once more, he jumps, barely keeping back a yelp as he looks at Ghost.

He has a closed fist held before him.

“As long as you keep that shit away from Huaso, you can have this back.”

The fingers uncurl. Sitting on the purifier’s palm is the little blue lighter.

His friend, the Fire!

“Oh! Thank you, thank you!”

Flo reaches to snatch it up when the fingers close on it again.

“Remember what I fuckin’ said? Repeat it.”

“As long as I keep it away from--”

“Keep _THAT SHIT AWAY_ from Huaso.”

“R-Right, _as long as I keep that shit away from Huaso_.”

Satisfied, Ghost uncurls his fingers again.

Flo can’t help but stare at the digits, even in the dim light. Or what little light the headlamp provided. There’s no denying it; the spirit is unbelievably soft, with strong muscles in his arms, and questionably large fingers. What could Ghost possibly get away with whenever he spends his alone time with pestilence?

More questions for later. Flo takes the lighter back, hugging it to himself with another ‘thank you’, and moving away to flip it open and stare at the little flame for a while.

He and Fire have a bit of catching up to do, although it won’t involve setting himself ablaze.

~~

So distracted by the flames on a torch held in his grasp, he doesn’t realize that his undead friends were in combat. With a large ghoul that is round, robust, and deceitful. It almost looked like a furry lagomorph of some description with the jaws of a large cat.

Flo only perked up from his conversation with Fire when a cry of agony rings out, followed by a splash of blood, which fills the air with its scent. Someone took an attack of important impact, the victim’s skin easily cut open.

Wait.

That happens to be Ghost!

Before the lagomorph ghoul could land another heavy paw on the purifier, Huaso intercepts, holding his shovel to cushion the impact. The concrete under his shoes buckled, but his knees didn’t.  
“Florence, we could use some _Doggone Help_ here!”

Did Huaso just… ask for his help?

“C-Coming!”

Adjusting to the darkness after diverting his eyes away from the torch, Flo rushes over to Ghost. From the stories he’s heard, the dead purifier is a formidable foe, but if a ghoul that size with claws could split the tunic and the skin, the party might be well in over their heads.  
Without thinking, the doctor-to-be sets the torch aside, hands on the nasty gash while hardly getting a response from Ghost. The impact and blood loss must have sent him into shock.

**{Immediance}**

The competence does its job, seal up the wound and stop the bleeding. But seeing as it’s a light healing technique with priority, it did nothing else. The purifier is still in shock, not necessarily in palsy, but with the blood stanched he should be able to get back up sooner.

A guttural snarl alerts Flo to the action behind him. Huaso’s stance has been broken, and the large paws knock him to the ground easily.

“F-Flo, Ghost says the thing’s weak ta m-meat!”

Weak to meat.

Does this mean…?

Flo turns around to look at the lagomorphic ghoul, getting his lighter out. “Huaso, I need you to stand clear!”

**Corruption in progress…**

Once Huaso gets the message to fall back, the bringer of health rushes in, lighter flickered open. There is a moment of madness in his eyes, if anyone was able to pay attention.

**{Burning Low}**

With a flash, the lighter’s flame extends like a tongue of a flamethrower, easily latching onto the muddied white fur.

The ghoul screeches, hisses, watching as this foreign element is quick to spread and consume the fur. It’s yellow eyes wide with alarm. It didn’t take long to disregard the flames as it stared Florence down. Then, with a twitch of its long ears and its head lowered, it begins to charge at the healthy inhabitant.

**{Staggering Sclerosis}**

Flo took the brunt of the attack, feeling a numbing sensation take root in his spine before it just as quickly fades away. He grasps the whiskers, thinking for a second and asking himself; _‘Why does it look like whiskers of a cat, not a rabbit or hare?’_  
He gives a yank, plucking about two strands out.

The ghoul gives another shrill screech, forcing Huaso and Ghost to cover their ears. In this instant it also remembers that its fur is on fire, and starts to run around, rampaging, bashing into walls in an effort to put it out.

“Haven’t you heard of stop-drop-and-roll?!” Flo hollers, readying his lighter again with a smirk.

The lagomorph lowers its head and charges again, but a white beam hits it dead on in the forehead, right between the ears. At the same time, Flo felt the numb weight lift from his shoulders.

**{Epidemic Shuffle}**

Huaso has rejoined the fray, and a Valzong ring, with the circles aligned to resemble a biohazard symbol, dims down before evaporating into white smoke. Looks like pestilence called upon his servant to shift the status of palsy off of Flo onto the ghoul.

The ghoul tries to get up, thrashing from both the fire still assaulting its fur and the palsy now rendering its spine useless. Like a rabbit with its neck broken just enough to render coordination impossible. It snarls, it hisses, it even got close to slam a paw down on the doctor that got too close.

**{Ghost Punch}**

A punch between the eyes got it reeling again.

Ghost has recovered from shock.  
“YOU MANGLED FIREBALL BASTARD LAGOMORPHIC PISS CAT! YOU’RE GOING TO FUCKIN’ REGRET GUTTING ME LIKE A FUCKIN’ TROUT!”

“Ya better hurry; that thing ain’t gonna last much longer.” Huaso remarks, stabbing the shovel into the concrete and flicking up grains of metal into the ghoul’s eyes.

**{Ferrite Flick}**

Even with no coordination to its back legs, it still manages to roll onto its belly, using its front paws to pull itself forward. It tried to go for a bite, but not only could it not see anything, the target it went for hops back out of range.

The smell of burning flesh fills the room, yet the fire on the ghoul still hasn’t consumed anything from the neck up.

Flo notices this, and he grins again.  
 _‘Let’s change that, shall we?’_

**{Burning Low}**

After giving another verbal warning to Huaso, the lighter is flicked open, and the stream of fire consumes the ghoul’s face head-on, ears included.

A haunting scream fills the dark chamber within the filtration system.

**Adversaries corrupted.**

As the fire takes hold of a now immobilized ghoul, it begins to disintegrate into ash.

“That’s a shame. Would’ve loved some rabbit meat for dinner.” Huaso grumbles. Pretty sure the rabbit looked and behaved familiar but it’s not ringing any bells.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

A new voice resounds from the other side of the large room, followed by a single man clapping.

It wasn’t easy to tell who was approaching them. As Flo went to retrieve the torch that he dropped, holding it up to better illuminate the place, he first catches a glimpse of a sky blue visor with two black voids peering out of them.  
As they get closer, the three can see that, while his body dons the standard Elsen work uniform, his head is clearly a different story. Ghost, along with the doctor himself looked miffed.

Only Huaso is showing signs of unwarranted hostility. What is wrong with him?

“You have no idea how long I’ve been stuck down there. That thing kept me in a corner.” says the stranger.

Huaso only growled.

“Smells like ya’ve only been there f’ a day or three.”

“Maybe I have, fellow. Maybe I have…”

The miner looks about ready to claw into him.

Ghost is quick to rest a hand on his shoulder. “Fuckin’ sorry about that. We’re all a little wound up after fighting that abomination, and he’s vulnerable to fire.”

“Who are you, anyway?” Flo asks.

“You three may call me Borbo, but that’s about all I’ll reveal to you at this present time.” the helmeted man says, “Where is it that you are heading? I know these parts of the filtration system pretty well, if I do say so myself.”

“We’re heading for a big ol’ farm planted in the middle of nowhere. That’s at the opposite end of where the temple is, which is where we came from.” Flo answers with excitement. Huaso might have a bad gut feeling about Borbo, but that will not stop the doctor from being friendly.

“I can show you the way there, if you like?”

“No, thank you.” Huaso grumbles, pushing the hand off of his shoulder. “If ya could give us a verbal direction instead of actin’ like a guide, that’ll be much appreciated.”  
Something is wrong with this man. He won’t stop looking at Ghost. And it has his hackles standing with icy goosebumps on the back of his neck.

“Fine, fine, Mr. Paranoid. You might want to take a seat; it’ll be a doozie, and some bodies of water ahead might not have pedalos for you to call in.”

~~

Because of the damage the rampaging ghoul did earlier, a slab of metal fell. Nobody made a move to push Borbo out of the way, except for Ghost, but his reaction time was sluggish. Due part from suffering hemorrhage shock earlier.

A sickening crunch accompanies the boom of the slab hitting the ground.

Only Huaso remains suspicious, while a sliver of guilt settles within the other two undeads.

How were they going to find their way out now-?

“Don’t you just hate it when that happens?”

Borbo scrambles up over the slab, as though walking around it just wasn’t an option. “Wish I had seen that coming.”

As Flo tries to come up with a scientific reason as to why _one_ Borbo died and another one just climbed over the rubble, Huaso speaks up, sounding more irked than ever.

“He’s immortal.”

Borbo grins, or as much as his eyes can express in the visor, as he claps a little.

“Clever boy. Yes, I am immortal. And it sucks. Every few people want to keep on living, but let me tell you; it gets old after a while.”

“Why are you immortal?”

“It came with the job when I started.” the helmeted person replies to the curious doctor, “But let’s not dig into that. Where was I? Oh yes… you take the gate after swimming through the pipes of three joined treatment pools. Flo, if you can use pocket tunnels, I would recommend it seeing as you don’t look like you can handle water. Huaso can, but he cannot afford to swim for too long. And Ghost can both phase and fly, but there are a few walls in the way that makes carrying Flo with you impossible.  
“Once you’re through that leg of the infrastructure, it’s smooth sailing. Follow the pipe to the outside and you should see the barren wasteland where grass still miraculously grows.”

“Awright. Thanks for the navigational tips.”

Ghost gets up from sitting, dusting himself off. He frowns as there are still tears into his tunic. Guess he’ll need to get that fixed as soon as he possibly can, even though he’s brought along five spares onto this vacation.

As the three walk away, Flo leans over to Huaso and starts whispering.

“Why so tense?”

“I dunno, Flo. I look at ‘im, an’ I can’t trust him one bit. Did ya notice that, unless he was addressing either one of us, he was lookin’ at Ghost this entire time?”

“Now that you mention it…”

“Flo, in future encounters, I’d like at least one of us to keep a close eye on ‘im. He’s got ‘fucking bad news’ written all over that idiotic demeanor.”

~~

“And that should do it.”  
Flo smiles. A bunch of tickets were ripped in two, forcing Ghost’s body to heal and fix up any lingering itchy scars that were still around. “Your wounds are all clean and healed over.”

“Thanks… for the help and all that.”

Ghost looks a bit sheepish. A cheap blow from a giant ghoul that he should have been able to dodge. Or at least phase out. Who knew blunt claws could still leave horrible germ infested gashes?  
He glances over his shoulder at the two tents, one of which Huaso is just finishing up.

Despite a great improvement in the friendship and teamwork dynamic, Huaso still wasn’t keen on sharing the same breathing space as his opposite. He wanted some alone time, with Ghost. He’s got an itch, and if the purifier is up to humoring him, then he can look forward to a scratch.

After dinner, Huaso bids Flo goodnight. The doctor was about to ask why they couldn’t share just the one, but sighs as he soon watches the miner easily crawl into the tent. Likely to put earplugs on.  
Huaso isn’t a salty slug anymore… right?

It’s weird, sitting at a campfire in an otherwise damp place, but something about this spot feels safe. The lack of droplets falling overhead that could potentially douse the flames. Flo is happy to sit there, talk with Ghost for a little, eat his share of meat and his last bowl of salad. Maybe it is a good thing they are making their way towards this ranch. When the purifier starts to nod off, Flo urges him to go to bed, join Huaso if he has to. He’ll sleep on his own.

At least he has Aceso to hug, and listen to him hum a lullaby.

~~

His internal clock says it is morning.

With a yawn, Flo rolls onto his back, giving himself time to wake up. He will need to eat more meat for breakfast… it’s not healthy to eat just meat, but he finished his last ration of salad last night. After some time pondering and weighing up his options, he rolls onto his stomach and crawls out of his nice and warm sleeping bag.

Today would be the last push to get out of the filtration system.

As long as they can stick to Borbo’s directions, they should be able to pull it off without a hitch.

To do that, the other two undead need to get up.

As Flo finishes getting dressed and starts packing up his tent and sleeping bag, he notices that not a single noise escapes the other tent. But its walls were jiggling every now and then. This gets him curious once he is ready to go, fire started once more to cook some meat and get something in his stomach, which should last him until lunch time. As long as he isn’t made to swim.

Those two seem to be taking their sweet time.

Flo makes it to the couple’s tent, standing before it for a while before speaking up. “Hey, guys?”

No answer.

He kneels down, and grabs the zipper.

The second that the first click from the zipper starts, all movement within freezes. There are also the suppressed sounds of someone moving to get out of their own sleeping bag, followed by grumbling and muffled curses. Flo takes a step back when Huaso grabs the zipper and pulls it up some more, a concealed glare in his goggles.

“Florence, what the fuck?”

“Good morning~!”

“Ugh… mornin’ to ya, too. But next time, regardless of how darn impatient y’are, will it kill ya ta wait?”

“In this environment? Yes. Can we please get going?”

A sleepy yawn lets the doctor know that Ghost is up and about as well.

“You couldn’t wait another fifteen minutes?”

“Sorry, Huaso.” Ghost yawns again, tail giving a shudder, “Flo has a point. We need to get going…”

Flo grins.  
Their tent smells a bit off, but he won’t ask further questions. Huaso’s renewed sour and Ghost’s grumbling explains it all on what they tried getting up to at some point in the tent.

~~

Getting through the last leg wasn’t as bad as they originally thought.

Huaso is soaked to the bone, granted, but he did avoid entering full mode and that’s all that is important.

After Ghost described what the area looked like beyond a few walls, Flo is able to tunnel in and emerge where the miner stood by waiting for them.

But something wasn’t right.

As Flo kept his sights trained on the light at the end of the large pipe, their exit from the filtration system, his headache continued to worsen. His tunnel vision grew in intensity. And it wasn’t long before he lost sight of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guess who the ghoul was?
> 
> Hint; it's in the competence it used.


	4. Famished Protector, Abundant of Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's bad enough when one hits empty mode. Why not two?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll add additional notes later, I'm not in the best place to go into deets right now. Thanks, and read on.

Ghost felt this before.

He felt the doctor’s hands grip his arm before the nails prick. Followed by a bite.

“Fuckin’ Ow! Sorry, we need to fuckin’ move!”

This isn’t as bad as when Huaso entered empty mode for the first time. So something must have happened for the doctor to reach this state. He grabs Flo in one arm, ignoring the feeble bites that were starting to bruise, and Huaso in the other, and sprints out of the large tunnel.

Running in the dry open, the purifier comes to a stop as he spots what initially looked like a pale horse grazing on the grass. The braindead doctor eases its bites when the horse glances up. It’s mouth was unusually elongated, its ears pointed forward. As it turns to walk away, Ghost could almost make out a red skirt.

“Keep goin’, Ghost. I don’ think I can last much longer either…”

~~

Ghost was now dealing with two zeds, each chewing on his arms. Utter torture, and in the midday heat, too.

Simultaneously, all three stop and perk up, catching a scent of something.

Something delicious.

Something  _ nice _ .

He spots something round in the distance; Orange-brown, with a white shirt, black tie, and dark bluish-green pants. Not long after his gaze finds the rotund inhabitant, both Huaso and Flo stop biting and clinging to his arms with their nails, following the scent as well.   
As though they could feel eyes trained on them, the inhabitant stops. And freezes. Like a prey that has spotted the predator making a single mistake.

Something about this doesn’t seem right.

Ghost wanted to talk to the two harbringers, which in hindsight, something that he did not realize until later; they cannot be reasoned with. Like kittens on cat crazies, both Huaso and Flo took off after the inhabitant.

The round inhabitant, in turn, took off running. Faster than the zeds were able to set a pace. They screamed for a name as they ran like a bat out of Hell.

Seconds later, Ghost only watches as the same horse headbutts into pestilence, and proceeds to chase health until he trips, and gets trampled on. When the miner gets up to resume the chase, the equine tramples into him next.

It took another second for his common sense to kick into drive.

“STOP! FUCKIN’ STOP!”

He hollers, rushing over and scooping up both harbringers. Huaso clearly tanked the hits better, but his appetite was lost as soon as he was coughing up blood. Flo, on the other hand, has gone into concussion.

“They’re running on fuckin’ empty! If you know what that fuckin’ means, you wouldn’t be so fuckin’ rash, you stamp-happy tramp from the West!”

The horse gave a swagger.

“You should’ve thought of that before letting them off the leash.”

Wait, this thing can talk?!

“COME AT ME, BITCH! I’LL POUND YOU INTO HORSE MEAT SO MOTHERFUCKIN’ HARD, THE DOGS WILL HAVE AN EASY TIME FUCKIN’ MAULING YOUR REMAINS!”

“Both of you, stop!”

Oh, the pumpkin broccoli hybrid inhabitant is back. “Carby, please! I heard empty mode; it makes a lot of sense as to why they would be chasing me. Please, let’s take this indoors and get these two fed!”

~~

Flo manages to grapple something, something delicious. He sinks his teeth into it, the juices of what tastes like a fruit salad floods his mouth and trickles down his throat. At this, he ravenously starts chewing away. Taking a moment, he can see the light at the end of the tunnel again. It slowly expands as he comes back to his senses.

His ribs hurt, so does his spine, but his regenerating qualities meant that he wasn’t really worse for wear. Any broken bone structure likely corrected itself whether he was aware of it or not. Mindlessly, Flo continues to eat. But he can hear a groan to his left.

It sounds like Huaso.

“Fuckin’ Hell…”

A few more blinks, and Flo can see they are seated in someone’s dining room. With slabs of what looks like meat in front of them. So how come his piece tastes like a fruit salad?   
No room in his zed head for scientific curiosity, he picks it back up without question and resumes eating.

“An’ ta think; I was minutes away from full mode at the tail end of the filtration system…”

Wait,  _ why _ was Huaso on empty mode?

Flo blinks, notices that his glasses are dirty. When he reaches up to take them off, he stops himself in time when he sees his fingers are bloody from eating the meat on his plate like a zombie.

“Ya must be heain’ me fine, doc. How come ya hit empty mode, other than bein’ exposed ta water in the atmosphere fer too long?”

Huaso asks before taking another bite.

“I think it’s because… I didn’t have fruit or vegetables with my share of meat this morning. I need a balanced, healthy diet to be satisfied, not just meat. No offense or anything.”

“None taken.”

“Also, because my last ration of fruit was used up last night.”

Huaso grunts in response, looking his plate over before taking the last piece of flesh. He’s never seen this cut before, nor has he tasted anything like it. His gut is completely happy.

“I struck empty while Ghost an’ I were carryin’ ya across a bakin’ wasteland. It was hot outside.”

“So, a dry atmosphere does it to you as well?”

“Without water t’ drink, yes.”

Both harbringers look at each other. Both are a mess. “You look like a horse stomped on you a few good times.”

“Hello kettle. Pot here, doc.”

“That’s because you two were trampled on.”

Flo grunts, looking up from his plate at Ghost standing in the corner. His bandaged arms folded.

“When you two clean up, be sure to thank Mida. As much as it fuckin’ pained him, he gave up a few pieces of himself so you would snap out of it sooner.”

Flo looks back at his plate, a feeling of horror taking root in his gut. No wonder why this meat did not taste  _ normal! _

“Ya couldn’ wait until we were done to tell us, Ghost?”

“Maybe. Alternatively, you would have mauled him anyway, and his partner would have done more than mash you into pulp.”

“Partner?” Flo asks, getting up from his seat to wash his hands and face off at the sink. And clean his glasses while he’s there.

“She has a name, and it’s Carbine.”

That sounded like the inhabitant they were trying to chase earlier. The smell of delicious food fills the room, but its scent isn’t as strong. Huaso, Flo, and Ghost direct their attention to the orange-brown inhabitant. Though smiling, he seems to have a small grimace of discomfort on his face.

“Boa tarde.” the farmer greets, “I hope you two are feeling a lot better now. Carby and I didn’t know you were on empty mode until your friend made that fact very clear.”

“I’m sorry ‘bout that. I’m Huaso, by the way. An’ that there is Florence.”

“Oh! Oh, I have to ask! What’s your Class and Grade?” Flo chirps with a slight bounce in his heels. After devouring this meat, despite learning of its origins, he’s starting to feel a lot better. But an  _ actual _ fruit salad will do him one better.

“Class and Grade?”

“Flo we haven’ even gotten his name yet-”

“Class: Harbringer, Grade: Abundance. As for my name: Mida.”

“I’m gonna go ahead an’ guess that ya’ve already acquainted with Ghost.”

“De fato.” Mida nods in agreement. Sounds like his auxiliary language is Portuguese. “He didn’t make a lot of sense trying to explain it, but we got the gist of it quick enough.”

“And the horse lady?”

“Still outside, letting Drought graze. She cannot eat anything, but her servant can.”

Huaso and Flo share a glance. If she’s a harbringer, how does she avoid empty mode? Heck, how does Mida avoid empty mode himself?

“So… what is it like being Abundance?”

“It has its own mixed bag.” Mida begins to explain, soon sitting at the table.   
“First of all, I can’t eat. I feel happy and full all the time, at least in an eating sense. The only thing I can ingest without an issue is water. Then there’s the aroma I unwillingly produce. If anyone hungry enough catches the scent of it, I will smell like their most favorite food. I arguably taste like their favorite food, blood and all.”

Flo makes a face. “No wonder you tasted like a fruit salad.”

“If that was ya flesh that you jus’ fed us… thanks.” Huaso almost mutters, looking away. “I ain’t the best of readin’ emotions, given my poor condition ta see, but ya look to be in a bit of pain.”

“Ei, não se preocupe com isso. Or for the common language; Don’t worry about it.”

The ranch owner grins.

Ghost keeps quiet, raising a brow. Something doesn’t entirely seem right about Mida.

“It’s not the first time someone has managed to get a direct snack attack on me. What makes your meal different is that I willingly gave up a piece. I don’t think my giant crops would have done anything to help you get out of a bind there.”

“Crops?”

This gets the doctor’s attention. “I wanna see the crops! I have no fruit and veg left on inventory to eat, and I really enjoy a balanced diet.”

~~

From the long grassy fields, the pale head of a horse, surely made of calcified sugar, perks up from its grazing. Once it finishes its last mouthful, it parts its jaw slightly. A pair of red eyes peer from within. The master of this servant is thankful that she’s getting at least something for energy. Eating anything makes her sick. Leeching sustenance from her servant is all she can do for the time being. She watches as the ghost puppet, sick opossum, and soot covered fluffy salamander follow Mida outside.

He’s showing them the large crops garden patch. He is ever so proud of the fruits of his labor. And when he’s proud and happy, she can’t help but feel the same.

Drought wants to get back to grazing, so she allows it, taking another nap while allowing the servant to continue to eat for the both of them.

“Surely, this is a surplus of food. Where does it all go?” Flo asks, walking backwards after spotting an orange tree with large oranges, as large as his whole head!

“Sometimes I drop them off to the Nothingness. It might wind up somewhere else in these lands, or in another file entirely. Sometimes we get people passing through, conveniently on an empty inventory, and I happily provide a refill to it.   
“I got everything I ever want on this land. And my love for my hard work sometimes pays in surplus. So unless I’ve already dropped it into the Nothingness, I’m always happy to share.” Mida gives a pause, a grin spreading across his face, “Unless they want a piece of me.”

A morbid joke? Huaso tilts his head at that. “Damn, did ya hafta?”

“Well, maybe...” the farmer rubs the back of his lumpy head sheepishly, “I don’t usually let anyone get at me easily. I’ve had practice playing sports back in my day. Was pretty good at it, too!”

“That explains why you ran like there’s a football under your arm. And a mob of bat-shit insane players trying to catch up.”

“Says the slugger from beyond the grave.” the bringer of abundance chuckles again, “So, what would you like to take with you? I have lots ready to go, and lots more that will be ready to harvest by next week.”

~~

Surprisingly, the hardy farmer was also growing choice cuts of meat from the earth. As Huaso picked out several slabs of Abaddon, Moloch, and Belial’s meats, he also picked out a good stack of Palladium and Orichalcum flesh. This should keep him going for another two weeks if need be, and he would even need to make flesh jerky out of some of the scraps, too.   
Speaking of meat that can grow, the miner doesn’t hesitate to tell Mida about the blood oak orchid that he and Ghost had stumbled into about a week ago, though it’s across the plastic sea from Hollow Metro, and the orchid in question was nearby the garden of Abundance the 3rd. With this information, the current abundance gives a nod. He might ask Carbine to investigate it later.

Flo seems to be very happy with the range of fruit and vegetables Mida said were ready to go. He isn’t sure if he could fit it all in his inventory, but when he comes to that bridge to cross, Huaso tells him that it doesn’t hurt to squirrel some away in his pocket dimension. The best part is that the crops grown take a very long time to rot, so all this will likely keep Flo afloat for at least a month, all in all.

The three were heading for the east gate out of the farm, when an inhabitant, about twice the standing height of Reinzi, approached them. She has a red bow in her hair, a red scarf, and a complementary carmine colored skirt to go with it. Much like Reinzi, she is sporting a black suit and a pair of suit pants. This set of clothing choice, added with bits of grass nearly clinging to the stringy ends of her pants, made her look like a confused oddity. At least to Huaso and Ghost.

“Hey, uhm…” she begins, glancing off to the side, “Sorry about trampling on you two, and all… I was only being protective of Mida.”

“That one was on us… Carbine, wasn’t it?” Flo begins, “What’s your Class and Grade?”

“Yes, it is Carbine. And, uh… Class: Harbringer, Grade: Famine.”

Flo smiles. So far, he’s travelling with Pestilence, and has met War, Peace, Abundance, and Famine. Oh, and he’s found out that he’s Health himself! That would leave Death, and its opposite, Life, left to check off his list. He can’t wait to meet them!   
But now that he thinks about it… wasn’t Borbo an Ex-harbringer? Of what? He might never get his answer.

Ghost folds his arms. He wants to say something. That itch is back, the same itch that bothers him when he’s catching onto a pathological liar, but if Carbine’s temper is anything to go by…

“What’s with the eye aversion?” he asks, tail giving a flick.

“What about it?” Carbine counters, though she corrects herself before another dispute spirals out of control, “Ah, right. Direct eye contact makes people either hungry, or numb to the sensation of hunger. I don’t like making people skip their meals, so I try not to look anyone dead in the eyes. Although sometimes I can’t help but humor Mida. He can’t eat, he never feels hungry, he never needs to eat. A moment of eye contact and he gets his moment of feeling normal. Even if it’s really weird…”

“Good news for you; I’m already fuckin’ dead. Huaso has something freaky with the whole eye-contact deal, and it doesn’t affect me.”

“Yer very pretty by the way, Carbine.” Huaso complements, tipping his helmet some.

“Uh… thank you?”

The bringer of famine glances away again with a blush. Besides Mida, nobody else has ever called her pretty. “I’ll let you three get on your way. I don’t think there’s anything heading out east, besides a boreal forest full of pine trees. The wind coming from it is refreshing when the change arrives.”

With that all and said, they bid Carbine farewell, and told her to tell Mida ‘thanks for the food.’

~~

The distance between the filtration system and the farm wasn’t as long as the distance between the same farm and the boreal forest.

Huaso sighs in relief once they have reached the frontier of trees, the cool breeze providing a welcoming relief to his skin. Flo begins hugging himself as he shivers. If he ever picks a place to live, hopefully it’s not in here.

Ghost glances between the two. “So, who wants to take the first fuckin’ step into adventure? I don’t think we’ll find anything else that is fuckin’ static in this place for a long time.”

“Static, as in, unchanging? When there isn’t anyone around to prevent change from happening overnight?” Flo asks, glad that the arm he’s hugging is keeping him warm.

“If land changes overnight, I’d call that lucid. Like a dream.” Huaso adds, hugging the other arm.

The undergrowth rustles. A fauna of some abomination dashes out from the shrubs, bolts past the three, and sprints like wild into the intense heat. The trio of undead morons were spooked by it.

“...I have  _ never _ seen a ghoul that grotesque.” Flo muses, shivering from both the chill and the sudden appearance of it.

“I don’t think that’s a ghoul. It’s something, and it’s in fuckin’ pain.”

“This might sound a bit crazy, fellas, but ya think that might’ve been Lepi’s doing?”

Lepi? That’s a new name. Flo looks at Huaso, then at Ghost as the purifier speaks up.

“We’re looking for a smug, mock-Greek-God bastard dressed as an Elsen with an unrefined face, according to Asshole Anglerface, if we’re keeping an eye out for ‘Lepi’.”


	5. Life is Beautiful... Almost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The elusive and beautifully flamboyant Lepi is found at last by the trio travelling together.
> 
> But that's not all lurking in the forest. Seems like Life has messed with more than what they have managed to keep track of.

There are powerful ghouls in there.

A perfect excuse to warm up by engaging them. Whenever Flo wasn’t on the offense, or on standby with a healing competence, he would take the time to admire the coordination between himself and his new friends. Huaso wasn’t wrong; Ghost hits like a truck, often sending his target flying into a tree. Any stat debuffs and poisons were of high appreciation due to the tanky nature of their targets.

Ghost didn’t just specialize in hitting hard, and hitting multiple targets at once either; Priority Swing and Bulking Strength were some of the valuable buffs where he and his allies benefit, when it’s called upon.

And for someone who claims to be resilient to plastic, Huaso either lacks, or seldom uses Competence that involve the element of plastic or water; instead focusing on delivering the poison, pain, and other nasty side effects that can ruin a target’s day. And given enough time with the rain, stranded at sea, and a few dips in the filtration, Huaso’s burnt sugar has regrown enough to start channeling poison again. But in the case scenario where claws won’t work, he can always switch to his trusty shovel or his pickaxe.

Although, Flo isn’t the only one studying his friends.

Huaso takes note whenever the doctor makes his move. It’s not just outright recovery that the bringer of health is capable of delivering; Flo can also siphon HP from enemies and either restore his health or pass it on to allies. And there are more fire-based attacks besides Burning Low, but the miner saw something involving roots of a tree? Unless he’s mistaken, and it’s something that Flo’s add-on, Aceso, is capable of executing.   
He can’t help but feel there’s a mild clash of interest whenever the add-on does come out to play…

“Whatever trash file this data belonged to must have had one fuckin’ ghoul problem. This is insane.” Ghost sighs, dusting his hands off. It’s a good work out, but they’re a piece of cake, and he’s not growing much as a result.

“They’re innumerous. An’ I ain’t entirely sure if all of ‘em are ghouls.”

Huaso seems chuffed. He hasn’t had to fight hard since he got used to fighting back in the mines. And he had to, especially with entry level puppets following the wrong string of impurity.

“I really don’t want to suggest we go deeper, but we might find something if we do.” Flo says, starting to look a hint miserable with the chilly wind.

~~

The deeper they pressed, the thicker the pine trees grew, the harder it is for the light to shine down. There were more ghouls to worry about and to fight off.

Making sure to keep their health in check, as well as their stamina up, Flo takes the lead of the party. Pushing past the thick bushes blocking away, they come to a small clearing. It is well lit, but at this time of day it is clear that the sun will set very soon.

“Hey, does this look like a good camping spot?” Flo asks, curious about the soft ground.

At those words, a swarm of butterflies flock in, in a peculiar formation. They hover for a minute in the opening before dispersing into the air.   
Standing in the clearing now is an inhabitant of some description. With the usual Elsen work uniform, but the necktie is a dark blue instead of black. Their face, a blank canvas. Not even so much of a nose. Their hair spiffed up in an odd style.

“Okay, that’s fuckin’ weird.” Ghost winces, trying to make sense of the new arrival.

“I could say the same thing, you wasted head space.”

The sound of bones snapping was heard as a pair of creepy eyes formed on the blank face.

“I take that back. That was asinine.”

“Oh that’s cute. Usually, you fly off the handles and let loose your big mouth, don’t you?” a voice from inside asks, mainly directed at Ghost, though all three undeads heard it loud and clear.

“DAMN FUCKIN-! Right, I guess?”

The purifier is at a loss for words, but he already feels irked with this asshole. Is this that Lepi guy he’s been hearing around?

“Oh, are you Lepi?” Flo begins, eyes taking a glint behind the glasses, “I heard about you from my friends that you’ve been transforming inhabitants into things! Oh, my name is-!”

Lepi holds up a hand. “I already know what your name is, Flo. As well as how I already know about Huaso, and Ghost. I, Lepi, wouldn’t be the Harbringer of Life if I knew no such thing. Even in your undead state; as long as any part of you desire to keep on living, I own you, just as much as my opposite does.”

What a pompous ass. Flo pouted. He already dislikes this harbringer.

“Was it ya that kept sicking ghouls onto us?” Huaso inquires with a frown.

“A little bit of yes, a little bit of no. Some of the fauna has to do with the big guy downstairs.” Lepi seems to give a gleeful squint as he continues to broadcast his telepathy into the minds of the three undead souls.   
“And to answer your question earlier Flo; No, this is not a good place to set up camp. You and your barely functional companions already had trouble fending off the fauna. There is only more where those came from once the sun goes down. This spot is wide, has many openings, and is right in the middle of a good swarm should your little tent allow it. If I were you, which I’m not, I would pick another place to pitch a tent, where it can be well camouflaged and has at least a single choking bottleneck for an entry.”

“You turned a lot of things into other things, didn’t you?” Ghost asks.

“Indeed.” Lepi begins, his eyes closed, “This dump gets boring, and it only stagnates if I let the waste with neurosis wander around without direction. Be lucky I don’t always create fauna from scratch.”

“So the Antsens?”

“That was me.”

“And the ‘bees and flowers’?”

“Me, also. They came from a file where fornicating was  _ encouraged. _ It seemed like a fitting transformation at the time.”

“Richard didn’ deserve that…”

“True, but it always wanted to be a psychic. It kept its brains, wasn’t I that merciful?”

“The amber worms in the bayside town?”

“That too.”

“What about that large lagomorphic ghoul in the filtration system?”

“That iteration of Pablo was feral, kept chasing rabbits. He lost his mind a long time ago.”

“Then how about this, fucker? Why did you turn one of the inhabitants into a merman? He’s going to maul you the next time he sees you.” Ghost folds his arms.

“I know. And didn’t he say he’s a marine biologist? What better way to study the deep abyssal dwellers than to make it possible to dive deep, complete with a little bio-luminescent lantern? Personally, I think it’s a nice touch.”

“You know what I think is a nice touch? You, with a black eye.”

Ghost pulls back, and before either Huaso or Flo could stop him, he sends an arm flying.

With reflex faster than lightning, Lepi changed his face to an open mouth full of sharp teeth, catching the clenched fist, but not biting down. The minor pricks from the teeth is enough for the purifier to stop his assault dead in its tracks.

“Well, you’re not deaf, but you are completely dumb and stupid. A waste, really.”

He pries the fist out of his open mouth, letting Ghost recall his arm.

“Next time, you might not be so lucky if you try that again.” Lepi adds, face returning to the two creepy eyes, squinting with mild disgust.

“How about you fuckin’  _ not _ transform the inhabitants next time a new batch arrives?”

“And let one murderous cannibal get a free meal? I think not.”

“I think I’m done listening to you.” Flo grumbles. He did not know just how much the bringer of Life has changed the lives of, for better or worse.

“Oh really? That’s too bad. Because I was about to say; there’s a transformed Japhet lurking in these woods. If he spots you, he will launch one of two mounted harpoons from his beak. Further in is a village full of birds… and they could  _ really _ use a doctor.”

This gets Flo’s attention. “Wait, really?”

“I’m not repeating myself.” Lepi cuts him off, eyes closed. “I can see that I’m not wanted by two of you here.”

Wait, two? Who’s content with this bastard’s company? Flo looks over at Huaso, who seems relatively relaxed, unlike his tense disposition around Borbo.   
Speaking of…

“Lepi, before ya go… Do ya know anythin’ about a man named Borbo?”

“Of course I do.”

Lepi looks back with a disgusted single red eye, a crimson liquid oozing from it.

“He is a fool. An idiot, a stupid man with a helmet made out of a bucket for his head. He cannot die, and if he does he only respawns. But you already know this. You have a very good reason to be on guard. Keep a close eye on him whenever your low-neuroned boyfriend is anywhere near Borbo.”   
He pauses, as some butterflies return and take on the formation of a bus. “If you hate him, join the club. But if the term ‘Ex-Harbringer of Death’ elicits a red flag in your head, all the more reason for you to reserve your kindness.”

The last remark was broadcasted to Huaso; Flo and Ghost didn’t hear that.

“Other than that; good luck to you lot, and do keep your dance moves up to date; you’ll need it if the Corax King finds you.” Lepi says, bidding farewell while stepping onto the bus and taking a seat before the butterflies took off.

~~

Night falls. The ghouls are out of the woodworks in force.

It’s a good thing Flo found a large, larger than life tree, with a pocket dug out just under the trunk, right with the crown of thick, sturdy roots. They set up the tent right under it, covered the entrance with shrubs, and forgo the idea to start a fire in case it not only draws attention, but set the ancient plant on fire by accident.

Huaso helps himself to some jerky, while Flo has his balanced diet of an apple and a banana. Ghost eats a little more, seeing as he spent a good portion of the day fighting alongside two of the cutest inhabitants he’s had the pleasure to be acquainted with.

Unfortunately, this small opportunistic hideout could only house one tent, so Huaso had to let Flo in and sleep with them. Keeping the peace once more, Ghost sleeps between the two abnormal inhabitants, and offers them one arm each.

Through the night, despite the chill, they slept well in insulated sleeping bags.

Not a single ghoul bothered to look past the shrubs.

Not even the fabled Corax King, with his keen eyes, was able to see that something is amiss under the giant tree in the dark.

~~

Ghost awakes with a grunt.

He could feel Flo nuzzle into his side on his right.

Huaso was still fast asleep on his back to his left.

The purifier had a good dream; thankfully, it wasn’t lewd. He’s not ready to do anything around the bringer of health, even if he already has them figured out.

His stomach grumbles. It’s time to get up and eat. But it’s too cold.

After another moment of silence pass, the purifier gets restless enough to start moving, scooting himself out of the sleeping bag and sitting up with a yawn and a stretch. Although he can’t move his arms, they’re both being cuddled.   
Feeling that at least warms his essence.

It is then that he hears a very faint beeping, before a hiss. Like a harpoon being launched.

It pierces the tent’s door, stabbing into the floor, very barely missing Ghost’s tail.

“Shit! Shit shit shit!” Ghost is wide awake in an instant, pulling his arms to himself while using his hands to shake the two Elsens up. “We got company!”

Huaso snorts, rudely awoken from a nice dream. But the echoes from a continuous beep gave it away. Just as he hears the hiss, he pushes both Ghost and Flo away from the broken door.   
Instantly after that, he feels a cold shock go through his left leg, then a tug. “Ah, fuck!”

“Huaso, hold on!” Ghost has both hands on the miner, but as the string tightens the piercing weapon catches, causing a shock of pain to run up his boyfriend’s leg. A fresh splash of rancid blood fills the tent.

“Ghost, the h-harpoon-! Break the chain!” Huaso cries out.

At this, the purifier lets go, both hands on the chain, and easily breaks it apart.

An unholy crow is what finally wakes a disoriented Florence from his sleep as well. “W-What’s going on?”

“Flo! Heal Huaso!  _ Now! _ ”

“Get that bloody harpoon outta my leg first!”

~~

With only one harpoon remaining, the masked black bird takes aim again. But it’s like trying to skewer three fishes in a barrel, where all of them are smart, and capable of pushing one another out of the way.

Finally, his ideal prey comes out of the tent.

“YOU CROW BEARING MOTHERFUCKER! QUIT SNIPING US, OR I’LL SHOVE A TNT SO FAR UP YOUR ASS, YOU’LL BE TASTING FUCKING GUNPOWDER BEFORE IT GOES OFF! I’LL SELL YOUR WORTHLESS MILLENNIAL GUT ROT AND TIT MEAT AS CHICKEN SCRAPS, TOO!”

The Corax King doesn’t care for his meal’s rants, a red dot lining up with Ghost’s chest.

“YEAH, GO AHEAD!” Ghost resumes yelling, arms spread wide, bearing his chest, “GO RIGHT A-FUCKING-HEAD! TRY AN’ FUCKIN’ SKEWER ME LIKE A SALMON, SEE WHAT FUCKIN’ HAPPENS, BIRDBRAIN!”

“Ghost, no-!”

The harpoon is launched.

Ghost phases his body out, the bone weapon harmlessly sailing through the chest and getting lodged into the immensely thick trunk of the tree right behind him. However, his arms remain solid as he grabs the chain. With a good couple of yanks, the transformed bird is brought crashing into the ground.

“Guess we’ll be fighting in our PJs this morning…” Flo muses.

**Corruption in progress…**

Typical of what was once Japhet; as soon as his first line of offence was removed, the abomination had resorted to singing. But thanks to Lepi’s meddling, its notes were an absolute ear-sore.

**{Baritone}**

An ear-rattling ring forces all three to stop and cover their ears. When the sound waves end, only Huaso is the one feeling the dizzying effects. First his femur gets snared, which Flo made quick work to heal once the harpoon was removed. Now his eardrums ring endlessly.

“Flo, Huaso needs to be able to fuckin’ hear to attack!” Ghost calls out, allowing himself to fly into a rage as he starts dishing out several punches.

**{Ghost Combat}**

While the dead purifier goes to town, one lucky punch knocks the mask off.

**{Marked for Death}**

Enraged over the loss of his mask, the Corax King lined both laser guides up on Ghost. Both the transformed Guardian and the purifier will be busy being locked in combat for a while.

~~

**{Vaccine}**

Flo had to call upon Aceso for this, curing Huaso of his Deafen status.

“Thanks.” Huaso grunts, watching as Ghost darts away from a pecking attempt only to punch another two blows to the bird’s chest. “Let’s get this over with. There ain’t no tellin’ how long this ghoul has been sufferin’ for.”

With the trio of undeads finally fully organized, they take a stance. However, because Ghost was the one to knock the mask off, the Corax King seems to favor targeting him first.

**{Priority Swing}**

**{Black Plague}**

**{Non-Caducean Health}**

Thanks to the boosts from Ghost, the two harbringers were able to move sooner, and hit harder as their attacks met their mark on the black bird. It also pays to recover HP they lost so early in the ambush.

The abomination hunches low, stretching his neck out suddenly, and gives Ghost a particularly hard peck. When it grabbed one of his arms, his other arm moved to collide with his beak, forcing it to let go.

“TRY THAT AGAIN, CUNTFLIER, I FUCKIN’ DARE YOU!”

“Is he always like this?” Flo asks Huaso, grabbing his lighter and getting ready with his next attack.

“Ya’ll get use to it. He’s foul mouthed, yet honest. He dun give a fuck, an’ he’ll say what he means.”

**{Soprano}**

Another ear splitter rips through the air. But this only serves to piss Ghost off even more.

“Huaso, keep clear, I’m about to burn this flying turkey.”

**{Flaming Wheel}**

The attack connects after forming a wheel of fire from the lighter. The downside of no longer being the Millennial Firebird is that this former Guardian no longer produces fire himself. One of his wings catches ablaze. After a harrowing squawk and a few clumsy flaps, it crashes into the ground.

Flo didn’t move fast enough to avoid getting hit, his world going black after being buried under a flurry of bark, dirt, and soot covered feathers.

~~

“Hey, wake up.”

The doctor-to-be feels a light tap on the side of his face. A petting slap more like it. He blinks hard, squints as he opens his eyes.

What was he doing again?

“Had us scared that ya might catch fire again under that big ol’ bird.”

“Huh? Wha-?”

Before Flo could collect his thoughts, he finds Huaso’s arms around him in a hug. That’s odd… usually the miner doesn’t want to be anywhere near the doctor. Once his own sluggish brain catches up to him, he hugs back.

“Thanks? I-I guess?”

“Thing’s been purified. We had ta spend another minute puttin' the fire out, else it’ll spread in the forest. Which wasn’t really all that hard.”

“S-Sorry.”

“Nah, ya good, doc.”

The miner smiles, letting Flo go. But the news of the Corax King’s demise isn’t important.

Huaso  _ smiled _ at Florence.

“Okay, am I missing some fuckin’ fine print here? Who are you, and what the fuck have you done to my grumpy-ass boyfriend?”

“I’m still the same-old, Ghost.” Huaso retorts, still grinning, “I’ve just had the time ta find some appreciation for the bringer of Health, is all.”

“Oh? Well, as long as it results in fewer fights, that’s fine by me.”

“Ya don’ sound like a happy camper. Do ya need a hug, too?”

“Maybe. Yes… I fuckin’ guess.” the purifier grumbles, quick to return the hug as soon as he feels the other’s arms around his torso. He glances over at Flo. “Hey, why don’t you jump in while we’re at it?”

This is not the lucid morning dream Flo wanted to wake up to. But he wouldn’t dare waste this invite. He hurries over, and hugs them both, and the two lovers are quick to accommodate him in this group hug.

For the first time since Flo is able to recall, he starts purring.

~~

By mid afternoon, the three had progressed deeper still into the forest. Fewer ghouls challenged them since their confrontation with the harpoon abomination.

Flo spots something out of place; a beautiful, iridescent black feather. He runs over to it, and picks it off the bark. “Guys, are we getting close? I’ve never seen a plume like this before.”

“We should be. An’ if we do find ‘em and it turns out they’re sick, I dunno if I wanna stick around an’ make it worse.”

The undergrowth rustles.

A small bird, the size of a child, cautiously approaches. While she does look like a raven, the size of her feathers didn’t match the plume they had found. “Papa says not to talk to strangers, but he’s really hurt. And we can’t get back home like this.”

Flo stands to attention as soon as he hears this.

“Yes, I heard from someone that your kind needs a doctor. I’m a doctor, I’ll happily help!”

~~

Turns out, the story was that when the Corax King terrorized the flighty inhabitants, the brave and the strong fought back. But inept to take on such a large, cunning adversary, and without a doctor, the village had been suffering weekly attacks since.

With the little girl’s papa healed, the two birds lead the party of three towards the village. Flo learns that the little girl’s name is Sorin, and her papa being Izar.

Upon arriving, news of the Corax’s demise spread, along with news of a doctor being in the area.

Florence, the doctor-to-be, had his work cut out for him. He started with those in critical condition, then the vulnerable, and finally those who were patient enough to wait.

Huaso and Ghost look at each other.

“Ya know, I think he might’ve found himself a new place ta call home. Feathers are flammable, but if they adore him, he’s gonna have a reason ta keep the fire off in their presence.”

“Look at all those homes though… I don’t think there’s one around for Flo to live in. And tents aren’t ideal if the fauna is anything to go by.”

“Which is all the more reason why I’d like to git started on draftin’ some blueprints. Make Flo a home. An’ if the village elder agrees; possibly draft up a hospital.”

Ghost shakes his head.

“Round trip to Heaven; the Electric Boogaloo?”

“Ghost, what do ya mean by that?” Huaso perks up from his pondering.

“When we went to Heaven, what started off as a holiday ended in building fuckin’ fantastic things!”

“Do ya want me to drop ya off before I git started?”

“Fuck no, I’m happy to stick around and help Flo build his home.”

~~

The moment it was green lit, Huaso got to work drafting, often talking with Flo on what it was he would like to see in his home. The basic needs, and then some. Initially, there was going to be a doctor’s office built in with the home, but both the avians and the bringer of Health suggested a separate building as a workplace in the form of a hospital.

Before Flo’s home was finished within the two weeks it took to build it, Huaso also got onto the plans of building a phone, one that can ignore the rule of the files. The drive to finally get onto it came into play when Ghost, finally getting worried for his brothers, wanted to head home and check up on them.

~~

A week after Flo’s home is built, and it is raining outside.

He watches the droplets pelt the window, disappointed in the weather. He wanted to go for a walk later on, hoping to find something flammable.

As Flo sighs dejectedly, he also hears the quiet clicks of a screwdriver twisting something into place, a few plastic tabs snapping together, a few buttons pressed. Huaso has been working on this little doohickey and he won’t reveal as to  _ what _ it is. Curious, the arsonist sits up in his wheely chair, pushes away from his desk with a foot to roll across the floor, and gently bump into the other Elsen from behind.

Huaso gives an abrupt flinch at this, nearly dropping his pet project. “Ah! Flo, what the Hell?”

“Sorry, I wanted to know what you were working on~” Flo chirps. Even if Huaso is as moody as the weather outside, he’s still a ray of sunshine in his brand new home.

“The answer’s the same as last time; never ya mind.” pestilence grumbles back, glaring at him over his shoulder, “Now leave me be, I’ll be finished in a few hours.”

He sounds tired, and grumpy.

Has this pet project been keeping him up for days on end,  _ on top _ of building Flo’s home and drafting blueprints for the hospital?

This will not do. Flo rests a hand on Huaso’s shoulder.

“Huaso, why don’t you finish that later? You sound like you need sleep.”

“I ain’t delirious yet.” Huaso retorts, but the word ‘sleep’ did invoke a yawn to escape him.

“Keyword; yet. I’ll leave your project alone while you take six hours off. Promise!”

“Promise?”

“Pinky promise!”

The sick inhabitant grunts, finally getting off his seat.

“Don’ set it on fire, or I’ll bust ya nose.”

“I won’t. I already made a promise to Ghost to, in his words, ‘Keep  _ that shit away _ from you’. That being my lighter. And it extends to any projects you have in progress, too!”

So that explains why Flo has been playing with his lighter less and less around him. It’s quite reassuring, and touching. He almost feels relieved…

“Hold that thought.”

Huaso raises a finger as he says this, but his eyes roll to the back of his head as he collapses.

Flo quickly catches him with a chuckle, dragging the now deadweight zombie to bed. He can only wish the sweetest of sweet dreams for his new friend.

~~

The day arrives when the hospital’s ground and first floor is open for business. A few of the avians, as well as surviving inhabitants that just arrived at the File Graveyard, have been hired as staff. At present, only Flo and about three other GPs were present to have a consultation with, but he’s hoping his hospital will grow a little more. As well as branch out to other specialties.

Despite having to go back to his home file for a few days at a time, Huaso would still stop by and help draft the next level, room, wing, or ward of the hospital. But sometimes, in order to get the miner out of the mines, Flo would have to come visit him personally via opening his own pocket tunnel. Even though Huaso’s new cell phone is up and running without issue, and he continues to make more cells to keep in touch with friends as well as his boyfriend and his brothers.

Although some habits still die hard.

Flo didn’t have to be around Huaso to pose as a fire hazard in the mines; the smoke pockets carry a risk of finding gas pockets instead, and if that is set ablaze…

Huaso thinks now is a good time to talk to his friend about it. He grabs his trusty shovel.


	6. In Good Health, and Happy Accidents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flo doesn't know how this invention came to be. But it can help him and many others look at the insides of one without incisions.
> 
> And then some, after Huaso's suggestion.

It was a happy accident.

And it was worth getting on his cell about.

Flo quickly dials up, waiting for the miner to pick up. He doesn’t care if it’s a late hour; he has to share this _now._

“Hello?” Huaso’s tone sounds tired, raspy. Perhaps the one time he went to bed on schedule. The faint hissing of smoke in the background betrays his location in the mines.

“Hi! Sorry for ruining your sleep!”

Flo’s tone is that of excitement, as though he’s made a huge discovery.

“Alright, ya… huuh… have my attention.”

The miner gives a hearty yawn. “How soon do ya want me there?”

“At your earliest convenience? Or right now if you can, but I can’t sleep until I try this on anyone other than myself!”

~~

At first glance, it looked like a piece of clear cellophane, the size of an A2.

However, it had the mixed texture of skin and silk, so it felt really weird to handle.

Huaso did as he was told, and lied down on the examination table, shirtless, with this ‘happy accident’ resting over his chest and stomach. After a few lights changed overhead, the appearance of his skin and muscles, even the ones that have been jerkified thanks to missing patches of skin, as well as the bones of his rib cage, vanished from view. And it didn’t feel any different.  
Revealed underneath for Flo to examine were the inner workings of pestilence. Huaso’s heart would beat at a rate two times slower than normal. It seems to be going at a normal pace now due to the sterile environment causing unrest for him. His lungs, intestines, and kidneys seem to be working okay, but his stomach looked off, and his liver completely defunct. Is this part of the reason why he can’t eat plants?

“This is amazing…!”

“Yeah, it is, ain’t it? Can I git up now?” Huaso gripes. He’s starting to feel cold.

“Hold on, I made more. Just bear with me.”

More? What the bloody oath did Flo mean by ‘more’?

Before Huaso had time to protest, he felt more of the silky skin rest over his face. It’s surprisingly breathable, too. He can’t see, or tell, but the lights overhead revealed to Flo what happened to the miner’s eye sockets, his throat, and his seemingly dead brain. Which means the infamously proclaimed ‘living rotten neuron’ is hiding within the mass of dead cells. It’s what makes Huaso think, feel, and talk. Everything else about the brain is driven on by instinct, aided by the necroa virus; to work, to fight, to endure.

“How about now?” Huaso’s huff made his teeth reappear briefly. He sighs as Flo removes the silk screen. “And can ya tell me what _the Hell_ it is that ya made?”

“I haven’t come up with a name yet! But with the right lighting while it rests over some bare skin, I can get a look inside one’s body. Without having to cut them open on top of that!”

So that’s what Flo was doing? Huaso can’t help but feel a tad violated…  
Wait! He comes up with an idea, hands moving to keep the one on his chest. “Can this thing git a look at an essence? I… I just wanna know, is all.”

“I don’t know what an essence looks like.”

“Well, I know what mine looks like. It’s a mix of mint and lavender in color. If ya can find a ball of light with that description, then ya found my essence. Keep tryin’ light combinations until ya find it.”

~~

Many light combinations were tried, but with each new combination revealing one or two, or more vital organs, Flo would be sure to jot it down.

Finally, after much trial and error, and many hours, the lights shone on Huaso’s torso hid away all organs, leaving a dark yearning void. But within it, a two-toned ball of light in the approximate location of the heart is glowing. Seeing this, the doctor almost wants to touch it; instinctively reaching out to give a poke, but his finger meets an invisible barrier. Both the skin, and the ‘sheet of revelation’.

“What, what did ya find now that ya had t’ poke my chest?” Huaso was growing impatient.

“Sorry, sorry! I think I found it!”

“Well, I can’t see. What does it look like?”

“It’s…”  
Flo takes another look, pen in hand scribbling furiously onto a clipboard as he jots down the light and button combination. “It’s a ball of light, like you described. A mixed color of minty green and soft lavender.”

“So this thing can show the soul after all?” Huaso muses out in wonder.

“I’m surprised that it does!” The doctor exclaims, putting his board down finally as he walks over, grabs the sheet, and pries it off.

After having it on for such a long time, Huaso shivers as that thin layer of warmth is removed from him. “What are ya doin’?”

“Can you get off for a moment, please? I want to see what my essence looks like now!”

“Flo, all I can see is a sea of red. Ya might wanna wait for someone else ta look at it for you. An’ furthermore, ya might wanna wash that.”

Huaso obliges to get off the table anyway.

“You could call in Ghost. I’m sure he’ll want to know about this, too!”

“Flo, it’s the early hours in the mornin’, the sun ain’t up yet.”

“Then why not take off your goggles?”

Unbelievable. When Flo gets excited about something, words go through one ear and out the other.

“I dunno, Flo. Makin’ direct eye contact with me is risky. I got an uncontrollable competence in the form of Cardiac Arrest. May cause palsy.”

“Huaso, it’s safe to say that I’m immune to palsy.”

Flo rests his glasses on his forehead as he lies down on the examination table; necktie off, buttons on his shirt undone and parted, before finally putting the sheet of revelation on his chest.

“Alright, Flo. Since the goggles trap my blood, you can be the one ta clean up its toxic mess when we’re all done.”

“I will, don’t worry.”

Heading for a sink first, Huaso removes the goggles, rinses them out, and mops up his soaked eyelids before approaching the examination table. He can tell Flo is looking at his face.

“Well, what do you see?”

The doctor’s tone held a gentle caress of curiosity. Huaso can’t help but make eye contact with the other, spotting a smile. He could also tell that, if palsy had struck, Flo is quick to shake off the effects. Or at least peacefully bear with it for now.

Right, the essence.

Huaso squints, trying to make out the ball of light in the same location as the heart.

Much like his own, it is two-toned. A soft orange glow, like a candle, mingling with the harsh light blue wisps of a flame. But they’re not entirely coexisting in peace, like his own and Pestilence’s essence. Part of the reason why Flo is still wired at this hour is because both prodigies of health have made a breakthrough study to make examinations easier.

Is it possible that Health, the Persistent, is excited about this discovery as Flo is? He can’t tell, nor would he want to be there to ask, if the color of his essence is anything to go by.

“Yer a mix of a candle orange, an’ a blue will-o-wisp. That’s what I can say about yers.”

This was like music to his ears.

“I really can’t wait now! I gotta ring Ghost up!”

~~

Because Flo knew his way around the examination room and had to clean up anyway, Huaso had to be the one to grab a tired and grumpy Ghost from his home at the ass-crack of dawn in Moonflower City. Arguably so, because Ghost found it easy to quash his ill temper when the pocket tunnel cracks open to reveal his pestilence.

“What’s so fuckin’ important that he had to drag me out of bed two hours before the fuckin’ alarm?” Ghost yawns, coiled around Huaso with his arms loosely hugging him.

“At least it’s two hours before the alarm an’ not 10 in the evenin’. He’s kept me up almost all night, so join the club.”

“Sucks.”  
The purifier yawns again, giving into a nuzzle. “I missed you~”

“Missed ya too, love.”

“So what’s this new invention?”

“He calls it a happy accident. I dunno what wack-job backyard science he was pullin’, but it has had us both wired all night. Got a feelin’ I’ll crash come after lunch.”

“If it kept you up all night, then it’s probably bitching.”

Ghost yawns again, accompanied by Huaso yawning afterwards. Damn, he really is tired. He wouldn’t be surprised if he was running on fumes. Finally reaching the other end of the pocket tunnel, which had bleached out at the wall, they step into the same theater room Flo has been keeping himself busy in.

“Huaso, thank you for helping him come over!” Flo looks relieved, but also very happy to see his other friend again.

“What is it, stupid Health Harbringer?” Ghost uncoils, looking around. There doesn’t seem to be anything out of place, besides the weird void color the examination light is giving off onto the bench. “And why the _Hell_ is your shirt undone?”

“Check this out~”

Flo was quick to hop back onto the table, the second skin still on his chest. As he settles and light starts to bend the cellophane-like sheet, a void in his chest yawns back before the essence begins to show itself once again. At this, Ghost walks over to take a better look. Fuck fatigue, right?

“I don’t know how I was able to throw this together, but whatever it is, I can take a gander in someone’s body without ever having to cut them open!”  
With the remote, Flo presses a few buttons. The lights continue to adjust contrast, sometimes change color, all the hues as well. He showed off his bones, his organs, even the ever delicate structure of the minuscule blood veins. “Huaso and I have been having a lot of fun with this.”

Huaso crosses his arms, glancing away. “Yeah… nah. I was kinda power nappin’ through the whole ordeal.”

“Oh come on.” Flo grins, nudging his opposite, “You were the one who wanted to see if this thing can reveal one’s essence. And it did!”

“It did?”

Ghost looks interested, watching as Flo presses the button to void out the lights again, revealing the unionized soul of the candle light and the will-o-wisp.

“It does. Why, is this intriguing to you now?”

“You woke me up at five in the fuckin’ morning for this? And it can reveal an essence? Of fuckin’ course this interests me. Move over, Florence!”

He did not need to be told twice! The doctor gets up, keeping the one on his chest as he finds another sheet ready to go, placing it over Ghost’s chest. The purifier didn’t even think to remove his tunic.

“Hey, Huaso? Remember when I told you that I wanted to show you my essence?”

“Yeah, ya did.”

Huaso walks over to the table. The light shining on the screen exposes nothing but the same deep black void so far. Maybe it’s taking awhile for it to show itself.

“It’s also why I asked Flo if it can reveal such a thing.”

Almost immediately, the doctor can see that the atmosphere between the two is about to get personal, intimate perhaps. While he considers the two to be his close friends, he’s not sure if he should be around for this.

“Shall I leave you two be?”

Huaso perks up at the question, as does Ghost.

“Nah, ya can stick around, if ya want. Unless this is startin’ ta make ya feel awkward.”

“M-Maybe it is. I’ll go have a quick breakfast.”

~~

Maybe Huaso and Ghost share a close bond, or a deep synergy.

But it’s ironic, isn’t it?

They’re both grumpy individuals. Both have their own can of worms.

And yet, Flo is a ray of sunshine neither knew they didn’t have, though they appreciate and accommodate him in their tight circle of friends.

As he finishes the last of his fruit salad, he opens the door back into the theater room, to be greeted with his two friends hugging. Ghost looks a little worse off than when he first came in, but he seems immensely happy nonetheless.

“I feel deeply honored that ya even let me touch it with my fingers, but let’s never do that again. I wouldn’ want to lose ya…”

“And I already said that I trust that you won’t hurt me. If anything, it still tickles.”

“Ghost, I think we both need to hit the hay. I’ve been kept up all night, and yer sleep was interrupted.”

“It was worth the wake up call.”

“Hey, guys?” Flo chose now to make his presence known, “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“We did.” Huaso nods as he responds, giving a small smile, “I dunno how ya managed ta pull it off, doc, but it’s an interestin’ discovery. Some kinda silk lamination that helps anyone see the inner workin’ without bringin’ the harm.”

After solidifying and taking the silk screen off of his body, Ghost sits up, only to be met with a sudden dizzy spell. He holds his head. He might be feeling off kilter for the rest of the day. So much for plans to volunteer at the library this morning…

“Hey, take it easy.”

Flo, ever quick to notice any sudden changes, rushes over, resting a hand on the other’s arm.

“You should probably postpone plans and take the rest of the day off.”

“Fuck… maybe I should.” Ghost grumbles, glancing off to the side.

“See, I told ya it might have complications if ya so much as let me poke at it.”

“It was worth the fuckin’ risk, strawberry marshmallow.”

Before either harbringer could argue, the purifier coils himself around pestilence, hugging him with a nuzzle.

“Yeah, I know, but ya still worry me sometimes.”

Flo glances around, feeling a little ignored, excluded. He begins to contemplate leaving the two again, when a clawed hand reaches out, grabs him by the wrist, and pulls him into another group hug. He must have stood too close, or Huaso approached him anyway even while Ghost was coiled around him.

“Uh…” the arsonist begins to blush, looking between the two as even Ghost has a hand on his back, “C-Can I help you?”

“Ya sure can, Flo. How about ya start by huggin’ us back?”

Has this been the new normal lately? Huaso and Ghost often including him in their hugs, and their adventures when he has time to join them?

Flo ignores the mild blush, hugging them back as a quiet purr rose.

A lot of difficult hurdles were overcome, that much he can vouch for. Breaking free from his imprisonment, burning bridges in his wake, making and losing friends, and finding himself lost and insane in a dump yard. And he had Fire to thank for that.  
But Fire is also the reason why he could potentially set off a rinse and repeat. One of his friends is immune, but his other will go up in flames in a snap if set alight. Since that confrontation in the mines, leading up to an explanation for his behavior with help from his servant, Flo found ways to better improve his situation and make a living in his dream job; as a doctor.  
Hell, arguably, he still isn’t right in the head. He will set fire to anyone who crosses him, his close friends, his metaphorical big brother, and anyone he would very happily donate his precious blood to.

Giving a happy sigh, Flo returns the nuzzle to Huaso, his eyes closed behind his glasses.

After a minute’s silence, he grunts, pulling away from the hug and taking a step back. “Alright, you two. I think it’s safe to say we all need to go to bed. Huaso, once you take Ghost back home, you are dismissed, though I would recommend that you catch up on your lost sleep last night. And Ghost? Take it easy. You allowed someone to have a poke at your soul, after all.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I might have to rearrange some appointments so that I can take the morning off and catch up on sleep myself. Last night was… it was exciting.”

Flo gives a yawn, fighting the urge to close his eyelids for now as he picks up the remote and turn off the lights over the examination table. Furthermore, he needs to collect the sheets, the happy accidents, and get them sterilized. Maybe tomorrow morning, he will hold a meeting with the other doctors and surgeons to talk about these ‘sheets of revelations.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that brings an end to this series, doesn't it? Thanks again for reading, the Kudos, and comments. (If you left any, you know who you are.)
> 
> I just hope I got Flo's essence right. ._.


End file.
